The Little Things in Life
by DarkiveDracormia
Summary: It's always the little things in life you take for granted, that is, until you don't have them anymore...NarSak
1. Rejection

Hey guys, my first Naruto fic. I hope you like reading it as much as I liked writing it!

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN NARUTO OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS. DON'T SUE ME YOU BASTARDS!!!!

It was a warm, sunny day in the Kohona Village. The village genin had just been released from their training and were enjoying the warm sunlight on their faces. As usual, Saskue Uchiha had attracted a throng of love stricken girls. Ino stealthily came up from behind him and snaked her arm around his. She smiled at him.

"Hey Saskue! How about you and me go get something to eat?" just as the sentence had left her, Sakura came up in the same fashion and took hold of his other arm.

"Forget ugly over there, Saskue! Lets you and _me_ go get something to eat!" A vein appeared on Ino's forehead.

"Stay out of this, billboard brow! I saw him first!" TenTen came running up in front of Saskue, stopping him.

"Saskue, those other girls are so childish, come to lunch with me!" with all the commotion, one person kept up the same steady pace pausing only to look back in jealousy and discontent. Naruto, becoming increasingly tired of this daily routine, sighed.

"How come they're all so into Saskue?" he muttered to himself. Knowing all to well what was coming next; he counted down three seconds with his fingers. As his last finger fell, the sound of Saskue pulling away from his fan club and the disappointed whimpers of the girls echoed through the air. Saskue put his hands into his pockets.

"Feh, this is stupid, I'm outta here." With not so much as a wave goodbye, Saskue jumped into the trees above and bounded out of sight. Naruto shoved his hands back into his pockets and stared at the ground.

"If I had was Saskue had, I wouldn't be so damn arrogant."

"Naruto! Wait up!" the hairs on the back of Naruto's neck stood on end as the familiar, soft voice called him from behind. Sakura came running up next to him, her distinct scent of cherry blossoms tickling his nostrils. Naruto, not at all prepared for the encounter gave her a goofy smile.

"Oh, h-hey Sakura! What's up?" Sakura blushed a little.

"Sorry… I feel kind of embarrassed asking you this, but…" Naruto's ears started to burn. _Is Sakura finally gonna say she's over that loser?! Oh man, this is it!!! _"Do you have any idea where Saskue might have gone?" Naruto's hopefulness instantly turned into disappointment and anger.

"Why do you care so much?!" he asked bitterly. "All he ever does it insult you and push you away!" Sakura balled her hand into a fist.

"Naruto, you dweeb! Saskue is twice as cool as you'll ever be! I was stupid to think you'd know where he was!" Naruto's usual straight stature slumped slightly as he once again stared at the ground.

"He's at the training course." He mumbled almost inaudibly. Before Sakura could respond, Naruto sulked away towards his apartment. Sakura stood there for a moment, pondering what had gotten him so worked up, before going in search of her beloved Saskue.

Naruto trudged home, still rather depressed from when his encounter with Sakura. _Why can't she like me?_ He asked himself. _I'd never ignore her like Saskue does. I always try to be nice to her, so why's she always so nasty to me?_ He heaved a sigh. _Maybe she just doesn't like me…_Suddenly, an idea popped into Naruto's head. As it developed, his smile grew. "I'll just tell her how I feel, then she'll have to talk to me!" he laughed with glee. "Maybe that'll knock Saskue down a peg or two!" With a new confidence, he turned on his heel and ran off towards the training grounds.

Sakura turned the corner into the training grounds, and just as Naruto had told her, Saskue was there throwing shuriken at a dummy. Sakura's heart skipped a beat. _Well, here goes nothing. _After a deep breath to steady herself, Sakura started a slow jog over to Saskue. "Hey Saskue!" she called. "I thought I'd find you here!" Saskue stopped throwing shuriken and slowly turned, a look of slight annoyance in his eye.

"What do you want Sakura?" Sakura stopped in front of him and smiled.

"Hey Saskue, I just thought that maybe you and I could go train together or something, you know to build teamwork!" Saskue, who seemed to be becoming more annoyed by the second, rubbed his forehead with his fingers.

"Sakura, I'm going to try to put this in a way you'd understand… I AM NOT INTERESTED." Sakura faltered for a moment before smiling once again.

"We don't have to train, I mean, we could go…" Saskue cut her off.

"I mean in _you_, Sakura. I'm _not_ interested in _you_. Just do both of us a favor and stop embarrassing yourself!" Sakura, obviously devastated by the psychological blow, put on a meek smile.

"Okay Saskue…sorry…stupid of me to ask…" she almost whispered. Saskue simply turned his attention back to his training as she walked away, defeated. No one seemed to notice a certain blonde genin sitting in a nearby tree. In no time at all, Saskue was back into his routine of throwing shuriken at the straw dummy. As his arm came back to throw another, a hand held it firmly in place while another landed a solid punch on his right cheek. Saskue fell to the ground, shocked that someone had attacked him so stealthily. When he looked up, he found none other than Naruto looming over him.

"I always knew you were a jerk Saskue, but I never thought you were stupid too!" Saskue glared at him.

"What are you talking about? Why'd you hit me?!" Naruto crossed his arms.

"Somebody had to knock some sense into you, ya insensitive bastard!" Naruto pointed towards the entrance to the training grounds. "You just had a nice and beautiful girl ask put herself out for you and you hurt her like that? What's wrong with you?!" Saskue got to his feet and brushed off his clothing.

"You're such a loser, Naruto. Somebody had to tell Sakura to grow up and start focusing on the important things. I was just the only one with enough sense to do it." Naruto about lost it.

"YOU MEAN YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE COLD ENOUGH TO HURT HER!" He spat. "You really make me sick, Saskue." He began to walk away. "I hope you enjoy training alone, because sooner or later, that's all you're going to have left." Saskue scoffed in dismissal as he turned back once again to his training.

"Loser…" he muttered to himself. "I don't care about other things, I just want to get stronger." Naruto didn't look back at Saskue again, he was too worried about what had happened to Sakura… and if there was anything he could do to make her feel better.


	2. The Boy With the Blonde Hair

Alright, here's chapter two. Sorry it took so long for me to update. I got dumped…hard. Ironic since my first chapter's called 'Rejection' huh?…Oh, and don't worry, I won't kill of Sakura now. 

Sakura pulled her covers tight over her head, not wanting to start a new day. The previous night's encounter with Saskue had left her drained of any ambition she had, making her want to just fall asleep forever. Fate, however, had chosen a different plan for her. From under her blankets, she heard the faint knocking of her front door. With a reluctant groan, she slowly rose from her bed and made her way towards her front door. When she opened it, she was met with a familiar goofy smile and the smell of coffee. Sakura's eyebrows arched in surprise.

"Naruto?" Naruto shuffled his feet at the mention of his name.

"Hi Sakura," he greeted sheepishly. "I thought you might like some breakfast." He offered her a cup of coffee and a brown paper bag which smelled like cinnamon raisin. Slowly, Sakura took the gifts.

"Thanks Naruto." The faintest hint of a smile was visible on her lips. "What is this for, if you don't mind me asking?" Naruto blushed slightly and put his hands behind his head.

"Oh, well, I kinda heard about what Saskue did to you, and I thought you might need some cheering up." At the mention of Saskue, Sakura visibly slumped.

"Oh, you heard about that, did you?" She laughed dryly. "I was stupid to think he'd want to be with me." Inside, Naruto was about ready to explode. _WHAAAT?!? SAKURA! NEVER CALL YOURSELF STUPID!!! YOU'RE THE NICEST, SMARTEST PERSON I KNOW!!! _He somehow managed to keep his outburst down to a small mumble.

"You're not stupid, Sakura." He said in a low voice. After a short silence, Sakura smiled.

"So Naruto, what do you say we go meet Kakashi sensei for today's training?" Naruto turned red.

"Sounds good Sakura, but first….you might want to put on some pants…" With growing horror, Sakura realized that she had come to answer the door in her oversized pink t-shirt…and light pink and white underwear.

"YOU JUST LET ME STAND THERE?!? NARUTOOOO!" With the oddest mix of embarrassment and rage, Sakura knocked Naruto straight off her porch and into the wild blue yonder. Blushing profusely, she quickly closed her door. she leaned up against it and heaved a sigh. "That Naruto…" her attention was again drawn to the bag that Naruto had given her. She opened it and reached her hand inside. When the pulled it out, it emerged holding a cinnamon-raisin bagel, fresh from the oven. She smiled, surprised that Naruto had known this was her favorite breakfast. She casually made her way over to the kitchen table, her feelings of sadness and regret almost completely dissipated as she sipped her coffee.

After her breakfast, Sakura, fully clothed this time, strode onto the bridge where her fellow teammates stood. At the sight of Saskue, all her feelings of insecurity and sadness came rushing back to her. She hung her head and walked towards the rest of her team. Today, however, something different happened. Sakura, who had always usually made a left at this point to stand next to Saskue, turned right. Naruto barely hid his smile of triumph. Even if she was just trying to distance herself from Saskue, he was happy to have her close. The teammates stood in silence until Kakashi came into view.

"Hey guys." He greeted casually. Naruto instantly became annoyed.

"Kakashi-sensei! You're late again!" Kakashi merely smiled at Naruto from under his mask.

"Sorry Naruto. I guess I just got lost on the path of life." At this all too familiar excuse, Naruto sweat dropped. As the two of them bickered, Sakura could help but let a faint smile come across her lips. _How does he do it?_ She asked herself. _No matter how bad my mood is, Naruto always seems to turn it around._

"Feh, I don't have time for this nonsense." Saskue huffed. Kakashi turned serious once more.

"Saskue's right. Come on you guys, we've got a full day planned." Sakura, now feeling good enough to talk once more jumped into the conversation.

"What are we practicing today, Sensei?"

"Teamwork." The jonin replied matter-of-factly. _Just great._ The pink haired ninja sighed. _This is going to be a VERY long day. _

Sakura was right. The day had been strenuous, to say the least. Kakashi had decided on another bell exercise. Usually, Sakura would have loved another chance at getting a bell from Kakashi, but she felt so unnerved near Saskue that she fell frequently and had trouble paying attention when they went over their tactics. It seemed like an eternity before Kakashi let them break for lunch. She had quickly grabbed her lunch sack and taken it far away from her teammates. She had been so flustered during the exercise that all she wanted to do was have a nice, peaceful lunch. As Sakura sat, quietly nibbling on a rice ball, a shadow grew over her. When she looked up to find its owner, she found it was none other than Naruto. Sakura managed a weak smile.

"Hey Naruto, what are you doing here?" He smiled that goofy smile that she was becoming very fond of.

"Hey Sakura-Chan." He greeted. "You looked lonely over here, so I thought I would come and keep you company." At this, Sakura paused. _When did Naruto get so…Considerate?_ After a moment, Sakura felt a twinge of guilt. _He's always been this way; I just never gave him any credit for it. _Sakura was pulled from her thoughts of regret by a gentle hand on her cheek. A little shocked, she looked back up at Naruto. He retracted his hand, a piece of rice dangling between his fingers. "Sorry Sakura-Chan, you just had a piece of rice on your face." Sakura's face showed a slight blush, as she smiled with a little me enthusiasm than before.

"Thanks, Naruto." As an afterthought, she added. "Sorry about punching you this morning." Naruto blushed as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Ah, that's okay…I'm sorry I let you…well… you know…" Sakura's blush deepened to the point of being close to her outfit.

"Well, just be sure not to let it happen again…" Naruto agreed, though he secretly wished it would happen more often. The two ninja ate their lunch, occasionally starting small conversations, but mainly just enjoying the other's company. The peaceful calm was soon brought to an end by Kakashi resuming with the training. Both Sakura and Naruto seemed rather put out at the idea of leaving the comforting setting, but did as they were told.

On her way home from the days training, Sakura found herself thinking about Naruto. In the past, she had really only seen him as a nuisance that came between her and Saskue, but now… She was beginning to see him as more than that. Naruto really was a nice guy, even if he was kind of immature. Sakura had even felt somewhat guilty about how she had treated him in the past. Sakura pulled out the keys to her apartment and unlocked the door. With the usual _click_, the door unlocked. She quickly got inside to escape the chilly evening air and headed to bed. The day had been tiring, and she wanted to be rested for the next day's training.

Saskue, who was already at home, sat quietly finishing his dinner. He couldn't, however, enjoy the meal. Something had been bothering him since Kakashi had called their training for lunch. When he had glanced over at Naruto and Sakura, they looked so… happy. For some odd reason, when he saw Naruto happy, he felt…jealous. He and Naruto had had bad pasts, but Naruto had always seemed to stay happy, and now because of it, people were finally starting to respect him. Saskue rubbed his temples, trying to get Naruto out of his thoughts, but was unable to.

"Something had to be done about this," Saskue muttered to himself. "And I think I know just what to do."

Okay, that's chapter 2. What kind of dastardly plot does Saskue have up his sleeve? I know, I'm just not telling! Oh, and for all of you people out there who may be a few fries short of a happy meal, I'm REALLY not a Saskue fan…


	3. A Turn for the Worst

Hey everybody! Chapta #3 coming from where all my stories come from, STRAIGHT OUTTA MY ASS! …coughs well, enjoy…

It was a new day in Kohona, both literally and metaphorically speaking. Naruto, with his usual zest, had gotten ready for another day of training; eating a nice cup of instant ramen (I never did understand how ANYONE could eat ramen for breakfast…eeewww). As he jumped out of his apartment door, he knew that today was going to be a good day. After all, Sakura was actually _looking _at him now, instead of Sasuke! **(HA! I SPELLED IT RIGHT!!!BWAHAHAHA!)** On his usual walk to the bridge where he and the rest of Team 7 usually met Kakashi, Naruto thought about the best course of action for the day. _Alright_, he thought to himself. _Probably the best thing to do is just comfort her, but I could always be a little romantic, couldn't I? _After a few more moments of his internal debating, Naruto decided that he would go to the flower shop and get one for the pink haired ninja. He figured that one flower was just enough to comfort her and get some of his own feelings across at the same time. After he had tucked the flower safely away in his orange jacket, Naruto again headed off towards the bridge.

Sakura happily made her way towards the now familiar bridge with a renewed spring in her step. Though Sakura still felt hurt by her rejection from Sasuke, somehow Naruto, her knuckle-headed teammate that she had so long seen to be nothing more than a nuisance, had raised her spirits. When she arrived, she smiled to see Naruto had come early, as usual. Naruto caught sight of her and began to wake at her enthusiastically. She laughed at his enthusiasm, then returned the gesture. "Hey Naruto!" she stopped short of him and smiled.

"Hey Sakura," he greeted. "What's up?" she shrugged her shoulders.

"Nothing much, just waiting for Kakashi Sensei…" Naruto chuckled.

"Ha, yeah…" there was a bit of awkward silence that followed, making both of them a little uncomfortable. Naruto's brain started to punch the side of his skull. _Let's go kid! Give her the flower! DON'T MAKE ME GET KYUBI TO DO IT!! _Naruto felt uneasy as he felt the Demon Fox chuckle inside of him. With a sigh to steady his nerves, Naruto began to reach into his coat. "Hey Sakura, I-"

"Sakura, I need to talk to you." Sakura paled, she knew that voice very well. She spun around to find Sasuke standing in front of her.

"S-Sasuke! I…um…" Sasuke moved closer to Sakura his eyes staying locked on hers.

"Sakura, I just wanted to say…sorry. I was just concentrating, and, maybe you'd want to go to dinner with me tomorrow night?" Sakura's face slowly changed from shock to pure rapture.

"Oh yes! I'd love to go to dinner with you, Sasuke!" she leaned in and hugged the Uchiha boy. Sasuke returned the hug, placing his head on one of Sakura's shoulders. Naruto stood there, observing the spectacle with disappointment, anger and sadness. He glanced at Sasuke's head rested on Sakura's shoulder. Suddenly, his eyes snapped open and slowly looked at Naruto. He gave him a look that was far more devastating than his Sharingan, he gave him a look of triumph. Naruto, whose hand had been gently holding the flower, crushed it angrily. He stormed off towards town; he didn't care about the day's training anymore. All he cared about was what the hell Sasuke was going to do to Sakura.

Sasuke strode towards his apartment after the day's training. It had been strangely quiet without Naruto, and he liked it. He had purposely taken the long way home in hopes of seeing Naruto somewhere, but he hadn't bet on meeting him the way he did. When Sasuke cut through a narrow alley that would connect him to the main road, a shadow from the side of the wall sprang to life and pinned him against a trashcan. Sasuke smirked.

"You're definitely more stealthy when you're angry, huh Naruto?"

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Naruto spat. He had to use every ounce of his will to prevent himself from decking Sasuke in the face right there. Sasuke raised and eyebrow.

"What ever do you mean Naruto?" he asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Naruto violently pushed him harder into the trashcan.

"Don't act stupid! Why would you ask Sakura out when you don't like her?!" Sasuke's smirk deepened.

"For this." Sasuke caught the lone tear running down Naruto's face. Naruto looked at the tear dangling on Sasuke's finger for a moment, before he could no longer control his rage.

"You Bastard!" he yelled. He sent a powerful blow to Sasuke's stomach, but the black haired ninja had seen it coming. He easily blocked the punch and used his other hand to knock Naruto to the ground. He let out a cold chuckle as Naruto tried to get his bearings.

"Naruto, It's just the same as always, you can't beat me. No matter how hard you try." Naruto slowly rose to his feet.

"I-I'll tell Sakura" Sasuke laughed again.

"You think she'll believe you over me? come on loser, you'd be wasting your time. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go get a good night's sleep if I'm going to be rested for my **_date_**." Naruto just stood there, glaring at Sasuke as he disappeared into the busy street. Naruto angrily punched the wall.

"No…Sasuke, I WON'T let you hurt Sakura! Not in a million years!"

Wow, short chapter. Sorry I left you at a cliffhanger guys, but the whole date

thing's gonna take a whole chapter, and let face it, I'm a sadistic person anyway! laughs

evilly so tune in next time when Sasuke gets assassinated! Just kidding…**MAYBE?!?!**


	4. The Little Things

Alright chapter four. It took me awhile, but here it is! Oh, and I would like to thank some of my more…vocal readers for pointing out my rather loose usage of the Japanese culture. I would just like to point out that I'm an American with a profound respect for Japan. I'm loud, outspoken and I like violence. You got a problem with that, deal with it.

"Naruto? Is something bothering you?" The yellow haired ninja jolted awake and almost fell out of the branch he only moments ago been sleeping on. Kakashi arched his exposed eyebrow at the spectacle. "Didn't get much sleep, did we?" Naruto rubbed the sleep from his eyes and slid off the branch onto the ground in front of his teacher.

"Sorry Kakashi Sensei, I didn't sleep much last night, I had…stuff to think about." Kakashi sized up his student before heaving a sigh.

"Well Naruto, seeing that I've never seen you sleepy, let alone think this hard about something, how about I take you for Ichiraku's for lunch today?" expecting Naruto's usual excitement at the promise of free food, the jonin was surprised when he waved off the offer.

"Thanks Kakashi Sensei, but I think I'll just eat my own lunch." With that, he stalked off to eat on his own. Kakashi watched as his student disappeared into the surrounding wood, wondering what in the world could have tripped him up so badly. _Whatever's got Naruto all stressed, It's definitely Something he cares a lot about. _The Copy Ninja thought. _I hope he pulls out of this okay…_

Naruto had hoped to the high heavens that he could get Sakura alone to warn her about Sasuke, but was rather disappointed when he realized that she had pretty much glued herself to the black haired ninja's side. He soon realized that he would have to confront her about the matter in front of Sasuke, which would no doubt make matters worse. Naruto mulled the information over in his mind until another idea popped into his head. With a snap of his fingers, the young ninja was running full tilt towards Kohona.

Sakura began to fuss with her bright pink hair for the sixth time. She wanted to make sure that she looked her best for her big night. In all her excitement, she couldn't help but think of the look on Ino's face when she saw her walking down the streets of Kohona with her new boyfriend, Sasuke Uchiha securely wrapped around her arm. Her thoughts of the Ino-pig were brought to an abrupt halt when she heard a knocking at her window. In the reflection of her mirror,she could make out a familiar figure distinguished greatly by his bright orange clothing. She made her way over to the window to allow her guest in. "Hey Naruto, I'm glad you decided to visit me when I have clothes on." Naruto completely ignored the small crack towards him and jumped into the room.

"Sakura, I have something really important I have to tell you!" Sakura, noticing the unusal ammount of stess in her friend's voice, moved in closer.

"what is it Naruto?" she asked worredly. "what's a matter?" Naruto shifted for a moment, as if he was trying to come up with the right thing to say.

"Sakura, I know you're not going to like this, but you can't go out with Sasuke!" the pink haired kunoichi crossed her arms in contempt.

"And why, Naruto, _can't _I go to dinner with Sasuke?"

"Because he's playing you, Sakura!" Naruto retorted. "And, well…I…" Naruto was interuped by the sound of the doorbell. Sakura started for the door.

"Well, that's Sasuke, and I'm going to go with him Naruto, so no more of this nonsense, okay?" before he could respond, Sakura had already grabbed her coat and closed her door behind her, leaving Naruto alone in her room. The young ninja stood there in silence for a moment before balling his hands into fists.

"Sakura…I won't, I **_can't_** let you do this! I won't let him hurt you!" in the blink of an eye, Naruto had disappeared out the window, kicking up loose papers as he went.

_I have to say I was expecting something…else…_Sakura thought as Sasuke led her towards a rather run-of-the-mill looking resturaunt. She quickly dispelled the pessemistic thoughts from her brain. _Why am I complaining? I'm on a date with SASUKE! This is going to be great! _She ajusted her arm currently wrapped around Sasuke's to a more comfortable position. The two of them checked in and were quickly escorted by a waiter to a table outside on the balcony. After taking their drink orders, the man left the two of them alone. Sakura slipped off her coat and placed it neatly behind her chair, then turned to face her date. Sasuke seemed as detached from the situation as he usually was as he stared off into space. Not wanting to allow the silence to continue, Sakura started to initate some small talk with the Uchiha.

"So Sasuke, I'm really glad you asked me to dinner tonight! You kind of tripped me up that night when you were training." Sasuke snapped out of his stare and looked blankly at the pink haired nin.

"Sorry, did you say something?" Sakura paused for a moment before waving him off.

"Oh no, it was nothing really, Sasuke. I…"

"You've got some nerve, you son of a bitch!" Both Sasuke and Sakura turned to see none other than Naruto standing arms crossed upside down on the rafter above them. In a flash, he was down on the ground next to their table. Sakura shot the boy a stare that could kill the Hokage.

"Naruto, what are you doing here?!" she hissed. Naruto pointed an accusatory finger at Sasuke.

"I'm trying to save you from this jerk!" he retorted before glaring at the Uchiha boy again. Sasuke raised his eyebrows in mock surprise.

"Naruto, I would never intentionally hurt Sakura's feelings!" he said with a hint of sarcasm only Naruto would catch. Before the blond haired ninja could respond, the waiter appeared holding a tray of drinks. Noticing the newcomer to the table, he raised an eyebrow.

"Would your new guest like anything to drink?" he asked politely.

"No!" Sakura snapped. "He was just **_leaving_**" she put an extra emphasis on the last word. Naruto visably deflated.

"B-but Sakura! I'm trying to…" Sakura cut him of as she stood up from her chair.

"No, Naruto! I DON'T want your help! Sasuke and I are, or at least _were_ having a good time until you showed up! Sometimes I just hate you Naruto Uzumaki!" that last sentence hit Naruto like a brick wall moving at 100 miles per hour. Naruto looked at Sakura in disbelief.

"You…hate me, Sakura?..." his voice trailed off as he finished his sentence, the words still lingering in the air. Sasuke looked up at his team mate with a confident smirk on his face.

"I think Sakura made it pretty clear what she thinks of you, Naruto. So how about you leave us alone?" Naruto offered some inaudible response before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

Naruto appeared in his apartment, tears slowly gathering in his eyes. He knew that she didn't love him, but hate? That was just too much for his heart to take. He wished so hard that he didn't exist at that moment, that he would simply blip out of existance. When no such thing happened, he did something irrational, he decided to go talk to the demon fox inside of him. Entering his mind, Naruto made his way towards the Kyuubi's cell. A pair of red eyes flashed from within the darkness of the cage. **_Why do you visit me boy?_** The fox asked. **_You can't honsestly expect me to know anything about your trivial mortal matters. _**Naruto ignored the hint of arrogance in Kyuubi's voice and advanced straight towards the bars. _Kyuubi, _Naruto stated. _I'm here to collect rent. I need to borrow your power so I can get as far away from here as possible. _Naruto was surprised when he felt disappointment from the fox. _**You know boy, that running from the ones you care about will do you no good… **Did I ask your opinion? _Naruto asked, tears again theatening to overtake his eyes. The fox sighed. **_Very well…_** with the jolt of Kyuubi's power flowing throught him, Naruto preformed the necessary hand signs for his teleportation. As his hands completed the final seal, a single tear escaped from Naruto's eyes.

"I hope you're happy, Sakura." He whispered as the blonde ninja disappeared, leaving an empty appartment behind him.

**A/N: **alright, just like to clear up that THIS WILL NOT BE A SAS/SAK FIC!!! This is just the first twist of my story. Anyway I hoped you liked it! Look for next chapter soon!


	5. Reflections

Alright, before I start, something came to my attention while I was brainstorming this chapter; my story is very skewed in comparison to the actual Naruto story line. So, just to be clear, this story takes place _after _the attack on Kohona, the only difference being that Sasuke obviously never went with Orochimaru. I might make him later, but I'm still debating that. Oh, and if you guys would like to see any other pairs in this fic, please say so.

I would also like to thank all the reviewers who helped me with correct spellings of names. Many thanks to you guys! Anyway, let's start chapter 5!

_DD_

_This is bad. _Kakashi thought as he looked at the hastily scrawled note he had found on Naruto's bedside table. The note itself was short and almost illegible, like he had been shaking when he wrote it. The Jonin scanned the strange note once more.

_Kakashi Sensei,_

_I have decided to take a long leave of absence, In the time I'm gone, please make sure Tsunade knows that I'm fine. Also, make sure Sakura's safe, okay? _

_Thanks,_

_ Naruto Uzumaki_

The Jonin slid the note into his pocket, knowing that the Hokage would want to see it later. Kakashi's attention now turned to the rest of Naruto's bedroom. It was in rather good shape, considering the numerous past cases of vandalism on the place. True, there was the occasional dirty sock or empty ramen cup on the floor, but aside from a few meager possessions, the room was all but empty. The copy ninja walked out of Naruto's room and into the rest of his apartment. It followed the same barren character as the bedroom, holding only a few things that weren't nailed to the floor. One item that caught Kakashi's eye in particular was a small framed picture. As he came closer, he realized that it was the picture of team seven that they had all taken when they had first become a team. As he picked up the picture, a grin became visible from behind his mask. There, frozen in the picture, was his team. Suddenly, Kakashi felt a twinge of unease. His team had been broken apart, and with Naruto gone for who knows how long, things were going to be…weird without him. The silver haired ninja walked out of his student's apartment, squinting as his revealed eye adjusted to the light. Things were definitely not going to be as interesting without Naruto around.

Naruto groggily trudged through the forest, not really caring where he was going. Right now, all he really wanted to do was be alone. Which was becoming increasingly difficult with the Kyuubi hounding him every other minute. **_Listen to me, you idiot!_** The demon screamed within him. **_You can't just run away from this! Sooner or later, you'll have to go back an-_**

"Why do you care so much?!" Naruto yelled out loud. "It's not like you care about me." Naruto could feel the Kyuubi soften. **_Aw, now that's not true kid. Sure, I think you're annoying…well, most of the time, but I'd rather be sealed in you than with Akatsuki._** Naruto laughed dryly. "You need some work on your compliments, you know that?" **_Look, all I'm saying is that if you like this girl as much as I think you do, you can't let this Uchiha brat steal her away. _**Naruto stopped walking, his eyes hidden underneath his blonde bangs. "Kyuubi, she doesn't love me, and she probably never will. So what's the point?" from within him, the demon fox let out a pulse of rage so intense that it made Naruto's eyes water. **_LISTEN TO ME, you ignorant gut bag! I've spent a good 13 years in your body, and never ONCE have you gotten rid of that stupid determination of yours! I mean you made it your "Ninja Way" for god sakes! Now, you mean to tell me that it means nothing, just because you hit a bump in the road? I'll not have it, boy! I'm taking us back. _**Naruto was shocked. He had never known the Kyuubi cared this much. His thoughts were soon postponed as he felt the Kyuubi summoning it's charka to attempt a teleportation back to Kohona. The yellow haired ninja crossed his arms. "Listen fox, I'm not ready to go back, and you can't make me." The demon's charka began to fade. **_Fine. _**The demon snorted, **Then you can look forward to dreams of that annoying bushy eye browed sensei in a Speedo until you go back! **Naruto grumbled, knowing that this would spell very little sleep for him.

"I wonder what this is about…" Sakura thought out loud as she held the small notice to come to Tsunade's immediately. "What do you think, Sasuke-kun?" The Uchiha prodigy walking beside her simply snorted.

"It's probably something stupid." Sakura sighed to herself. Even thought she **really** didn't want to admit it, being Sasuke's girlfriend wasn't at all what she had expected. When she had dreamed of it in her head, she had been able to be herself around Sasuke, she was able to tell him anything, and he could make her laugh. Part of the reason she had chased Sasuke for so long was because she could visualize those things so clearly, almost as if she'd had them before. The Kunoichi was so deep in her thoughts that she almost ran face first into the large double doors leading into the Hokage's Tower. The turned on her heel and glared at Sasuke.

"Why didn't you tell me I was about to run into the door?" she snapped. Sasuke merely shrugged and smirked, earning him a smack on the back of the head before Sakura stormed into the tower. When the two members of team seven entered the Hokage's office, they found that they were not alone. Already inhabiting the spacious office was Jiraiya, Kakashi and of course, Tsunade. Sakura felt a twinge of worry when she saw that they all wore serious faces. Looking around the office, she noticed the absence of their last teammate.

"Where's Naruto?" she asked, both confusion and worry evident in her voice.

"That's actually why we've called you here." Tsunade replied as she rose from her chair. "Naruto left Kohona last night leaving us only a note. Did he say anything to either of you about this?" Sakura's memory rewound to last night when Naruto had disrupted her and Sasuke's date. Even though he had been angry, he seemed like the same old Naruto…until she had said she hated him. With every passing second, the memory became more vivid in her mind. She remembered the words leaving her mouth, then watching Naruto. She remembered his eyes, how they seemed to loose some of their color, like something had died. Sakura's feelings of worry turned into those of guilt.

"I-I think I know why he left, Tsunade sensei." Sakura hung her head. "Last night, when Sasuke and I were on a date, Naruto came and interrupted us. I said…I said I hated him, and he ran off." Kakashi raised an eyebrow at this.

"You and Sasuke are dating?" Sakura nodded, while Sasuke continued to stare off into space. Tsunade cleared her throat loudly, getting everyone's attention.

"Sakura, stay here. Everyone else is free to go." The ninja filed out of the room, until only Sakura and The Hokage remained. When the door finally shut, Tsunade let out a sigh and sat behind her desk once again.

"Sakura, there's something I think you need to know." The pink haired Kunoichi looked at her sensei intently, waiting for her to continue. Tsunade motioned toward the window behind her. "look out that window, what do you see?" Sakura glanced out the window, seeing nothing of real interest.

"I don't know, the edge of the village, and the southern training grounds." The Hokage nodded solemnly.

"I saw the same thing a couple of nights ago, except you and that Uchiha boy were at that training ground." Sakura thought back to her rather disheartening encounter with Sasuke there, and sighed.

"Yeah, he was training really hard, and I interrupted him…"

"Do you know what I saw after you ran off?" The blonde interrupted. Sakura merely shook her head. "Naruto came and gave Sasuke a beating. I think he was sticking up for you, Sakura-chan." the pink haired girl thought about it for a moment.

"That does sound like Naruto, but what does this have to do with him running away?" to her surprise, Tsunade seemed to become irritated with her question.

"Sakura, do you know the old saying 'It's the little things in life you take for granted'?"

"Yes but-"

"Sakura, you're smart. One of the smartest, in fact. But sometimes I don't think you'd know a wonderful thing if it came up and bit you in the face." She dismissed Sakura before she could respond to the odd statement, leaving her even more confused. As she left the tower, Sakura thought about what her sensei had said. _What wonderful thing is she talking about? _She thought to herself. _And why did she bring up that old saying, anyway? Sometimes she really does act like a grandmother…_The usage of Naruto's little nickname for the Hokage made her laugh a little. _Naruto isn't even here and he's making me laugh. _Suddenly, a little thing hiding in the back of her head hit her consciousness with the force of an atom bomb. "Wait…Naruto…" Sakura whispered. Suddenly, Tsunade's saying didn't seem so ridiculous, because she had taken something for granted, and now that it was gone…she missed it. She missed _him _more than anything.

DA DA DA! (evil music plays in the background) another evil cliffhanger! Feel It's evil radiate through you! Bwahahaha! Anyway look for next chapter where…well…um…JUST WAIT AND FIND OUT!!!


	6. The Lazy Days and Ramen Dates

Hellooooo! How's everyone? Let me start off by thanking everyone from FF and MM for reviewing and making this my most popular story so far. So far only one person (namely, Kane the Warrior) has sent in requests for other couples, so I'm gonna go off of some of those. Anyway, on to chapter six!

**_DD_**

It was a lazy day in Kohona. A breeze blew sluggishly through the village. All was calm for Ino Yamanaka as she tended her family's flower shop, that is, until a rather distraught looking Sakura Haruno came staggering in through her door. The blonde shot an angry glare at the other Kunoichi.

"Come to gloat, forehead? I'm ready for whatever you got." She said icily. To her surprise, Sakura ignored the comment altogether and took a seat on the chair next to the counter. Slowly, she looked up until her emerald eyes were staring straight into Ino's blue ones.

"Ino, I'm sorry that I let Sasuke get in the way of our friendship. It was stupid." Ino was taken aback by the sudden and unexpected apology, from Sakura no less. Seeing the genuine sign of remorse in Sakura's expression, the blonde softened.

"Sakura, I'm sorry too. We both kind of let a crush get between us." She got out from behind the booth and pulled up her chair next to Sakura's. "Now, is something wrong? You don't look so good." Sakura sighed and rested her head in her hands.

"I don't know. It's just, well…"

"Come on, you can tell me." Ino coaxed as she put a reassuring arm around her newly regained friend's shoulder. Sakura's eyes flicked up towards Ino.

"It's just that when Sasuke finally did ask me out, I thought it was going to be great, and so far it's been so…not." Ino raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Really? Well, what's it like?" Sakura leaned back in her chair and ran a hand through her pink hair.

"When I pictured going out with Sasuke, I thought of him actually paying attention to me and doing, well, boyfriend stuff. But now that it's actually happened, it's like nothing's changed. He hasn't even started a conversation with me!" Ino sighed.

"Then I guess that means you don't have any juicy details about his…person." Sakura bopped her friend on the head, glaring at her. Ino giggled a little. "I was only kidding forehead." The two laughed a little, but soon Sakura's face turned serious again.

"Ino, that's not the only thing I came to talk to you about." The other Kunoichi waited for her to continue. "Have you heard about Naruto?" Ino nodded.

"Yeah, Choji was talking about it this morning. Why, what do you know?" Sakura's gaze again turned to the floor.

"Well, I think I'm the reason he left. You see, when me and Sasuke were on our date the other night, Naruto came accusing Sasuke of 'playing' me…then I said I hated him, and he left." Ino gave a stern look to her friend.

"Sakura! You know what Naruto thinks of you! Why would you say that?" Sakura raised and eyebrow.

"What do you mean, 'thinks of me?'" she asked suspiciously. Ino rolled her eyes.

"You mean you can't tell? He likes you, stupid!" Sakura stared at Ino, looking rather confused. Ino threw her hands up into the air. "Come on, Sakura! The way he's always talking to you, trying to cheer you up…"

"Protect me…" Sakura finished the sentence with a chuckle. "You're right Ino, he does like me, I've just been too blind to see it. Thanks." Sakura rose from her seat. "I just hope when he gets back that he'll forgive me." Ino stood up and put her hand on Sakura's shoulder.

"Don't worry Sakura, Naruto hasn't ever held a grudge." Sakura gave Ino a faint smile before leaving the flower shop. Once she had left, Ino took her place behind the booth once more. Slowly, a smile crept onto her face. "Oh Sakura," she said aloud. "You are so totally in love…if only you knew it too."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jiraiya walked the streets of Kohona with no real destination in mind. To be perfectly honest, whenever the hermit entered this city, his perverted antics were dulled. _I wonder why that is…_ he silently wondered to himself. As he glanced upward, he saw Tsunade looking out of her office window and slumped. _Oh yeah, that's why. _Jiraiya didn't know why, but whenever he looked at his old teammate, he just didn't feel like seeing other women. _Maybe it's because I'm afraid she'll kick the tar out of me. _He snickered to himself. Nonetheless, without the urge to visit a bathhouse, brothel, or spring, the Toad Sage was at a complete loss of what to do. After considering other possibilities, he finally sighed in defeat. "I guess I'll go eat ramen…dammit Naruto." He grumbled. "Now, what was that place called again…" he continued to ramble to himself as he looked for the small ramen stand Naruto had dragged him to so many times before. From her window, Tsunade watched as Jiraiya walked towards Ichiraku's. She licked her lips.

"Some ramen, huh? That sounds like a good idea." The woman started out of her office. "Shizune, I'm going to go have lunch with an old friend. I'll be back soon." The brown haired women at the desk situated outside her door gave her sensei a swift nod before returning to her paperwork.

Jiraiya sat down on one of the stools at Ichiraku's. It wasn't long until Teuchi came out from the back to greet the man.

"Well, it's definitely been a long time since I've seen you here, Master Jiraiya." The hermit gave the man a smile.

"You know how it is these days, Teuchi. There's always something that needs done. Now, how about a bowl of your beef ramen?"

"Make that two, Mr. Ichiraku." Jiraiya turned to see none other than Tsunade sitting down next to him. He was surprised when he had to fight back the urge to blush.

"T-Tsunade! What are you doing here?" the Hokage simply shrugged at the question.

"Eating lunch, what does it look like." Her expression softened. "And I saw you walking this way, and I figured you needed some company." Jiraiya, the seemingly unshakable pervert, was in an all out bout to keep his blush down. _Crap. _He thought to himself, _I thought I was over this! Damn it Jiraiya, don't do this again! _ He finally regained his regular modus operandi and smiled back at his ex-teammate.

"Thanks Tsunade. I always do enjoy company." Tsunade was surprised to find no sexual innuendo in that sentence, and took it as an attempt of maturity on Jiraiya's part. There was a short pause as Tsunade rested her head on her hand. She seemed to be looking off into space when her eyes suddenly met Jiraiya's.

"Do you remember the last time you and I were here together?" The Toad Sage pretended that he was trying to remember the occasion, then let out a chuckle.

"Yeah, we had just passed the Jonin exams, and you finally let me take you out to eat." Tsunade laughed at the memory.

"You were so excited that I said yes that you almost fell off that bridge!" the both of them clutched their sides as they laughed about the incident together. When their laughter began to subside, Tsunade wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. "How did that end, anyway?" In the blink of an eye, Jiraiya's laughter was gone, and was replaced by a look of total seriousness.

"I had to leave because Sarutobi sensei had just told me that Orochimaru had become a missing Nin." Tsunade's laughter subsided just as quickly. As she stared at her old teammate, she saw him reliving the event in his head. She put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Jiraiya…" he looked up at her once more.

"You know what the worst part about the whole thing was?" Tsunade just stared at him. With a sigh, Jiraiya continued. "The worst part about that night was that…I never got to tell you something really important." Tsunade raised an eyebrow.

"And what was that?"

"That I love you." The battle was over; Blush:1, Jiraiya:0. knowing too well the impending beat-down hurdling towards him, the hermit closed his eyes and awaited the firing squad. Jiraiya had never expected a firing squad to feel so much like a kiss. His eyes snapped open to see Tsunade right in front of his face, her lips securely fastened to his. When the shock had settled, Jiraiya allowed himself to return the kiss and slip off into joyous bliss… and his stool. Not a moment after, Teuchi reappeared from the back, holding two hot bowls of ramen.

"Alright, two bowls of our best beef… um hello?" The ramen vendor set the bowls down and peered over to counter. After staring at the couple on the ground, Teuchi turned toward the back. "Ayame! Get the mop, we're gonna need it!"

Yay! Another chapter! Okay two things to clear up; 1. For those of you not familiar with Latin, your modus operandi is your "mode of operation" or how you work. In a nutshell, your personality. 2. When I say "joyous bliss" I mean he's happy, you dirty pervs. The mop thing was a joke…A JOKE I SAY! Anyway, sorry for those of you hoping for Some Naruto stuff in this chapter. Next one there will be enough for both, but I just really wanted to get one of the minor couples present and accounted for. Once again, another Thanks to Kane the Warrior for the pairing ideas. IF YOU WANT MORE OF EM' TELL ME!!! Until next chapter!


	7. Sand In Your Shoes

Hi all. I hope you all enjoy chapter seven. Oh and a quick thanks to those who reviewed and gave me pairing ideas. A quick list: a BIG thank you to my "regulars" (Kane the Warrior, King of the abyss, Mid/temp and Animaman) for sending me good pairing ideas, and thank you's to everyone else that reviewed. You guys make this worth while!

"I am NEVER going to the beach again." Naruto muttered as his stopped yet again to clear the sand out of his shoes. Ever since that morning, the once dense wood that had surrounded him had grown more and more sparse, the ground becoming more and more dry, until the blonde haired ninja found himself walking in a dessert. The sun was beating its hot rays onto the world, bringing beads of sweat to the teen's brow. As he rose from the rock he had used as a chair, Naruto took off his orange jacket and tied it around his waist. **_A little toasty, are we?_** Chuckled the Kyuubi. **_Perhaps it is time to return to Kohona, brat. _**Naruto wiped some of the sweat off his forehead as he trudged through the barren landscape. "Not on your life, fuzz ball." **_Fine, but you know you're being a coward. _**The demon retorted. Naruto didn't respond to his tenant's insult, knowing that and argument with him would only make him frustrated. He scanned the area, hoping to find some kind of refuge, but was disappointed to find none. Though Naruto really didn't care where he was going, he wished that he'd hurry up and get there, the sand was starting to get on his nerves. Suddenly, the Kyuubi's charka surged through him, brining him out of the haze of his own thoughts. **_Brat, I sense the presence of another demon near by…and judging by our surroundings I think I know which one. _**With a dawning realization, Naruto realized exactly where he had ended up. "We must be close to the Village Hidden in the Sand!" he exclaimed. "Kyuubi, which way is the demon?" **_about three miles to the west, boy. Do we really have to go see Shukaku? I owe him money… _**Naruto ignored the fox's complaints as he ran off towards the nearby village. All he wanted now was a bed and a nice bowl of ramen.

After a sprint through the dessert, a very tired Naruto Uzumaki finally came to a stop outside the gargantuan, dark red doors that led to the sand village. Before the leaf ninja could catch his breath, two rather intimidating looking sand ninja appeared in front of him. One of the two guards drew two kunai from his pouch and pointed them menacingly towards Naruto's neck.

"State your name and business here, child." The guard's eyes narrowed. "Or I'll kill you where you stand." **_Well, they're not edgy are they? _**Kyuubi mused sarcastically. Naruto, who was still catching his breath, attempted to give the men an answer.

"I…friend (huff) of…Gaara. Come (cough) to see…him." The guard staggered backwards, amazed and terrified at the same time.

"Y-you're the Kazekage's _friend_?! By choice?!" Naruto flashed back to his own childhood, where the people in his own village would to have thought it absurd if someone willing chose to be his friend. Growing slightly annoyed at the guards' ignorance, Naruto began to walk by them a sneer on his face.

"Yeah, I _am_. Maybe you should try getting to know him before you go around badmouthing him." The blond haired ninja spat as he strode past the two guards and towards the gate. The second guard, who had been silent throughout the entire transaction, gave Naruto a warm smile.

"Such loyalty to a friend is admirable, young one. Please forgive my friend, he hasn't seen the new Kazekage quite yet." The man bowed, his inviting smile never leaving his face. "You may call me Higiru." Naruto eyed the man's features, looking for any trace of insincerity. When he found none, he quickly returned the smile.

"My name's Naruto Uzumaki, the next Hokage!" Higiru eyebrows arched in surprise.

"Naruto? My, Lord Gaara has talked quite a bit about you." Higiru looked over to his companion who stood a few feet behind him. "Rakichi, I'm going to escort Naruto here to Lord Kazekage. Can you keep watch without me?" Rakichi nodded slowly, still recovering from Naruto's verbal assault. The sand ninja gave him a swift nod, then turned his attention back to Naruto, still smiling warmly. "Well, come with me Mr. Uzumaki. I'm sure that Lord Kazekage will be happy to see you." Naruto nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, lets go!" **_Damn, Shukaku's gonna be on me like white on rice about that money…_** Naruto ignored Kyuubi's protests and followed his newfound friend into the Village Hidden in the Sand. As Naruto walked with Higiru towards the Kazekage's tower, he couldn't help but marvel at the village. Everything the eye could see was made of sand. Even the stands on the street were made of sand. What Naruto found the most pleasing about the new village, however, were its people. As he passed, not one person sneered or called him names, but instead gave him light smiles and waved in his direction. Not being used to so much attention at one time, Naruto decided to keep his mind focused on something else. "So Higiru, how has Gaara been doing?" the sand ninja turned to him and smiled.

"Well, ever since he returned from Kohona, it's like he's a new person." When all the man got was a look of confusion from Naruto, he sighed and went on. "All he talked about was how he had been wrong about life all along, and that he had made his first friend." Higiru let out a chuckle. "I believe he was talking about you, Naruto." The blonde ninja stared at Higiru in disbelief.

"I was his first friend?" Naruto gasped. With an urgency in his voice, he turned again to Higiru. "Hey, he isn't lonely is he?! I mean he's made more friends, right?" the sand ninja smiled again at Naruto's kindness. It was refreshing for him to see.

"Don't worry Naruto, Gaara has been able to make quite a few friends since he met you. He cares deeply for Temari and Kankuro now, and quite a few of the citizens here have seen the change and began to warm up to him as well." Naruto sighed with relief at the good news. He knew first hand what if felt like to be lonely and disliked…disliked. Suddenly, with a jolt of pain, Naruto remembered why he was in the sand village in the first place. His glance slowly shifted to the ground as he watched his feet rise and fall. _I wonder how she is…probably better without me around. _Naruto remembered her words so clearly. She had said she **hated** him, and loved Sasuke. As much as he didn't want to admit it, that's the way it was. Higiru noticed the sudden change in his companion, but decided that it would be best to let Gaara try and change his mood. He instead settled for putting a comforting hand on Naruto's shoulder, starling him out of his thoughts. Higiru motioned towards the elegant pair of ivory doors that stood in front of them.

"There you are Naruto, this is the Kazekage's tower. Though I can't accompany you inside, I hope to see you before you leave for your own village." Naruto's classic smile quickly returned to his face as he gave his new friend a thumbs up.

"Don't worry Higiru, I'm sure I'll see you again!" the sand ninja smiled warmly as he returned the gesture, then set off back to his post. After bidding his farewells, Naruto turned to face the ivory doors once more. A smile again finding it's way onto his face, Naruto grabbed the handle and briskly opened the door, eager to see his old friend and rival.

Sakura walked down the street, looking hopelessly for something to do. She hadn't even bothered to look for Sasuke, she knew the outcome to THAT scenario, and when she had gone to get some training done with Tsunade, Shizune had stopped her at the door saying something about "Indecency". Now, she was at a complete loss. With a sigh of exasperation, Sakura flopped herself down onto a nearby bench. _I wish Naruto were here, he always has fun things to do…_the pink haired Kunoichi thought. Throughout the past couple days, Sakura had found herself thinking more and more about her blonde teammate. She often found herself looking back on the times that he had tried to be kind to her, only to get denied or beaten. Now, she wished more than ever that she could just _see_ him again…as a friend of course, and apologize. I mean, he was just her _friend_, right? True, he was nice, giving, trustworthy, and maybe a little cute, but she didn't like him…did she? Sakura's head started to hurt. She needed someone to talk to about this whole confusing matter. Quickly deciding the best choice for a relationship guru, Sakura made her way to the Yamanaka flower shop. When she finally made it to the decorated door of the small shop, she grasped the knob and walked inside. As she entered the shop, she noticed the absence of her blonde friend. when she was about to give up and check her house, Sakura heard a faint whimper come from behind the counter in the back of the store. Taking cautious steps closer, Sakura softly called out for her friend.

"Ino?" with a jolt, the blonde Kunoichi appeared from behind the counter, wiping her eyes.

"Oh, hey forehead, didn't hear you come in." she greeted with a feeble attempt at a smile plastered onto her face. Sakura, noticing immediately the redness under Ino's eyes, became concerned for her friend.

"Ino, what's a matter? Have you been crying?" Ino's fake smile started to falter, until it was no more than a straight line. Her gaze fell away from Sakura and to the floor and she propped her elbows on the counter.

"Dammit Sakura, why did you have to go and make me realize that I didn't like Sasuke." Her tears again began to fall. "Without that…I see what I've been missing all these years." Sakura's thoughts of getting advice about Naruto were switched with ones of concern for her friend.

"What do you mean, Ino? What happened?" Ino looked sullenly up at Sakura, her tear streaks still visible on her face.

"Ever since our talk about Sasuke and Naruto yesterday, I've been thinking…and I've realized that I've overlooked someone I really care about too." Sakura placed a hand on her shoulder, trying her best to console her friend.

"Don't worry Ino, if I can get Naruto to forgive me, you can get…who is this person anyway?" Ino sighed, looking dreamily up at the ceiling.

"Well, he's lazy, REALLY lazy. And he's kind of stubborn, but in a cute way." Sakura could only one person who fit that description.

"So, you like Shikamaru, huh?" Ino nodded, her smile slowly melting into a frown once again.

"Even so, he probably doesn't care about me, anyway. After all, I've spent so much time chasing after Sasuke that he'd have given up a long time ago." At this, Sakura gave her friend a stern look. Lifting Ino's face up so that her eyes met hers, Sakura scolded her friend.

"Don't you give up, Ino-pig! How will you know if you don't try?! Who knows, maybe Shikamarus been waiting for you to get over Sasuke, he is pretty patient." Ino looked at Sakura, a tearful smile on her face.

"Do you really think he'd do that for me?" Sakura shrugged her shoulders and smiled.

"You'll never know unless you try." Slowly, Ino's smile turned into a smirk.

"Yeah I guess you're right, Sakura. I'll give it a try. But if it works, YOU have to go on a double date with Naruto!" Sakura stepped back, a blush creeping onto her face.

"W-what? But I d-don't like…" Ino crossed her arms, smirking at her friend. seeing no way out of the bet without contradicting herself, Sakura finally sighed in defeat.

"Fine, if you tell Shikamaru how you feel and he accepts…I'll ask Naruto on a date." Ino seemed both happy and satisfied with their talk, as she said nothing more. Sakura on the other hand, was flustered to say the least. As she exited the flower shop, she still fought to regain control of her blush. _Why is this bothering me so much_? She asked herself. _Naruto, why are you confusing me so much?!?_

_Wow…_ Naruto breathed as he walked through the magnificent hallway leading to Gaara's office. The walls were lit by intricately sculpted torches, which in turn illuminated the five large portraits of the Kazekages the hung overhead. Naruto had almost reached the end of the cavernous hallway, when the door at the end of the hall opened, revealing a young man in a black hood and a young woman carrying a fan on her back. The blonde haired ninja recognized the two immediately as Temari and Kankuro, Gaara's siblings.

"Hey you guys, long time no see!" Naruto greeted as he ran up to them. The two siblings looked at him with surprise.

"Naruto? What in the world are you doing here?" Kankuro asked, bewildered. Naruto smiled as he scratched the back of his head.

"Well, I took a little training trip and decided that I'd drop by and see you guys." Naruto half lied. Temari smiled, knowing that he'd come primarily to see Gaara.

"It's nice to see you again Naruto, but Kankuro and I are just about to leave on a mission. I'm sure Gaara will be happy to see you, though. He's in his office right now." Naruto nodded, gave the two of them a quick goodbye, then slowly entered the Kazekage's office. Hoping that he wasn't interrupting at a bad time, Naruto tenderly entered the office. It was rather spacious, if not sparse of objects. In fact, all that filled the room were a few pictures and the large wooden desk at the end of the room. Naruto was startled when he heard a familiar, but kinder voice vibrate throughout the room.

"Naruto, it's nice to see you again…Shukaku tells me that you owe us some money…"

well there's another chapter for you! hope you enjoyed it and hopefully I'll be able to pound out some more chapters more quickly. Anyway, TOODLES!!!!


	8. Tales From The Sandbox & Hinatahemotosis

Hey all SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG TO UPDATE!!! End of another semester and now I have to get my sorry butt up at 5:15 in the morning, so a lot on my plate. Any who, lets get on with the next chapter. WARNING: SASUKE IS A BITCH…wait, you knew that already…

Naruto Uzumaki was preoccupied with two pressing things in this particular moment in time; one being an overpowering feeling of happiness at seeing his old friend, and the other being that he knew that said old friend would ABSOLUTELY WITHOUT QUESTION hold him to the dept that his prisoner owed. Damn GA for having a strict policy about barring Demons from it ranks! Damn it to hell! With all of the internal turmoil coming to a boil inside of him, Naruto barely noticed the Kazekage take three large strides across the green tiled floor to come face-to-face with him.

"Uzumaki, you can quit worrying. You don't have to pay it all at once." The red haired shinobi stated curtly. Naruto heaved a sigh, letting his eyes roll.

"Great." He grumbled sarcastically. Gaara smiled, then motioned for Naruto to follow him.

"Come, walk with me and enlighten me exactly as to why you're here." Naruto shrugged, still somewhat distraught at his newly acquired debt before hurrying after the sand ninja.

After the short walk out of the Kazekage's tower, the two had found their way to the busy main street of the village hidden in the sand. As they walked, Naruto noticed how everyone smiled at them, waving and calling out "Lord Kazekage!". Then there was the occasional group of young girls who would chatter excitedly as they walked past their leader. Seeing how well-received the new Gaara had become, Naruto couldn't help but smile to himself. Compared to the last time they had met, it was like Gaara had managed to become a completely new person.

"Well, you've really changed their opinion about yourself, Gaara." Naruto complimented, still watching the love-stricken group of girls. Gaara smiled once again as he shifted his gaze to the bright sky, letting its rays fill his face.

"I couldn't have done it without you, Naruto. If you hadn't done what you did, I probably would have gone along hating them." He turned from the clouds above him to his blonde companion. "Now Uzumaki, what brings you to our fair city? Somehow I doubt it was for a change of scenery." Naruto scratched the back of his head, watching the ground pass under his feet.

"To tell you the truth, I guess I just needed a vacation." After realizing how lame that sounded, especially coming from him, Naruto shook his head. "No, that's not it. I-I guess I came here because…Someone didn't really want me around." Gaara crossed his arms as he turned to face his friend.

"Then you came to the right place, Naruto. You will always be welcomed in the Sand." Gaara, knowing the best way the cheer the brooding leaf ninja up, redirected himself towards the training grounds. "Come, what do you say I teach you some Sand jutsu, then we get some ramen?" Before Gaara could turn around to see his reaction, Naruto had already grabbed his arm and sprinted towards the training grounds. _It's too bad that the name 'The Yellow Flash' is already taken._ Gaara thought sarcastically as he disappeared into the distance towards the training grounds, knowing he would most certainly have to cancel any appointments he had the rest of the day. Once the two had made it to the sand villages training grounds, (surprisingly intact) Gaara had immediately began to teach Naruto some of his Sand jutsu. "Alright, Uzumaki," He began, lifting a rock off of the ground and holding it in his hand. "Before I can teach you any real techniques, I'll need to teach you the basics of sand jutsu." Gaara nodded towards the rock in his hand. "Considering the scarcity of sand in Konoha, the first thing you'll need to know is how to convert minerals into sand." Forming a few simple seals with his free hand, Gaara easily succeeded in reducing the rock in his hand into a fine powder. "Alright Uzumaki, now you try." Naruto located a rock and quickly took it into his hand.

"Alright, here it goes…" forming the seals, Naruto watched his rock expectantly, which turned out to be a rather dreadful idea as the stone proceeded to explode into many little pieces, catching him in his eyes. The Sand ninja chuckled softly at the spectacle before throwing another rock at his new apprentice.

"You've got the right idea; now just try using less charka…" Naruto nodded, focusing again at his rock, this time keeping his eyes squinted as to avoid another incident. Despite the act of personal safety, it couldn't fully protect the blonde's eyes from the explosion of his second rock, which sent a second wave of pebbles hurtling towards his poor blue orbs.

"God Dammit!"

Ino stood behind a tree only a few meters away from where one Shikamaru Nara now lay, quietly snoozing in the grass. She took a deep breath. She could do this. OF COURSE she could do this; she wasn't some kind of Hinata-like-faint-at-the-sight-of-your-crush wuss, was she?

Certainly not. Simply out of the question!

Then why where her knees shaking like it was thirty below?

Because she had to walk a long way to get here of course! That was the only plausible explanation.

Then there was her light-headedness…

She had skipped breakfast, and was simply suffering from some low blood sugar. It happened to everyone!

And the fact that she could feel her heart pounding in her throat…

That…that was…um…Damn the lack of medical explanations! It was _Hinatahemotosis?_ Alright, so maybe she was a tad nervous, but who wouldn't be? Taking cautious steps out from behind her tree and toward her target, Ino attempted to calm herself. _Come on! This is cake! All you have to do is go over, wake him up and start a conversation. "Hey there, Shikamaru, you're looking nice today. Good weather, huh? Would you be interested in some frenching later?" _sure, good plan. Luckily for the blonde haired Kunoichi, she came back to reality just in time to avoid tripping over her teammate. She steadied herself from her almost-trip, and shifted her gaze to the boy at her feet. _He always look so peaceful when he sleeps, _she thought. _I bet he's dreaming about those damn clouds he likes so much, or Shogi. That buffoon __**should**__ be dreaming about me! What if he's already dreaming about me? Oh no! he just frowned! What if I'm in one of his nightmares?! _ Suddenly, a half tired, half annoyed voice cut through Ino's internal ranting like a hot knife through butter.

"Ino?" _Aw crap…I feel k-kinda dizzy…_ It was then that Ino did one of the best Hinata-like-faint-at-the-sight-of-your-crush wuss impressions she could muster, and did so on top of said crush. Shikamaru caught her before she could hit him or the ground, then gently placed her beside him. While looking her over for any injuries (yeah that's what he was doing), the lazy shinobi caught sight of the flushed look that now covered her delicate countenance. He quickly looked away, embarrassed that unconscious girl would somehow see the blush that had found its way onto his face. Shikamaru sighed to himself.

"Man, why do I feel like this is gonna get _**really**_ troublesome?"

"Well well Uzumaki, I think you've started to get the hang of it!" and indeed the young leaf ninja had. After the fifth rock explosion, Naruto had slowly but surely managed to control the amount of charka he sent to the stone, until eventually he held in his hand not the rock he had started with, but a pile of fine sand. After a thorough inspection of his student's handiwork, Gaara crossed his arms and nodded in approval. "Alright, now that you know how to make the sand, I'll teach you to control it." The Kazekage closed his eyes, Naruto was quick to follow suit. "Now, I want you to feel the sand in your hand, make it _apart_ of you." Naruto took a deep breath before concentrating himself on the powder in his hands. _Okay, be the sand, __**BE**__ the sand…_nope, nada. It just felt like sand, and he just felt like a moron.

"Gaara, I don't think this is working." Naruto groaned, "It just feels like sand." Gaara nodded, having remembered the difficulty Naruto was currently experiencing well.

"It is hard to connect the sand directly to you at first; I had the same problem when I started learning sand jutsu without Shukaku. An easier exercise is to think of something that makes you happy and channel that into the sand instead." Seeming to be a much easier option that becoming that sand, Naruto nodded with approval.

"Sure, now to think of something that makes me happy…" now, what made him happy? Well, ramen made him pretty happy…Na, making a bowl of ramen out of sand would only make him hungry. Training? Then again, how do you make that into sand? Then, of course there was…

"My, quite the insight into yourself, Uzumaki." Gaara goaded. Naruto's eyes snapped open. No, he couldn't of; he only thought about it for a minute, he couldn't possibly have…

He did.

There, sitting in the palm of his hand, was a sand sculpture of he and Sakura locked in a passionate kiss. Naruto blushed unabashedly as he let the two figures dissolve in his hand. "Yeah, um… I-I think ready to try being one with the sand again."

"I'm sorry." Naruto's eyes turned towards Gaara, completely caught off guard by the apology. The sand ninja guiltily watched his feet. "When we attacked Konoha, and I hurt her, I didn't know you cared so deeply about her. I'm sorry." Naruto hastily waved off the apology, hoping to quickly change the subject.

"It's alright; she's not interested in me anyway. She's already…involved with Sasuke." Gaara's eyes lit up with a look of discontent.

"The Uchiha? You can't possibly be serious. He's as antisocial as, well, me." Naruto laughed half-heartedly at his friends attempt to cheer him up.

"I don't much like him either, but if Sakura likes him, I guess I'll just have to learn to accept them and move on." Naruto's one-man pity party was quickly disbanded by a sand ball to the noggin. Gaara crossed his arms in contempt.

"I never in all my days thought I would see you, Uzumaki, concede to the Uchiha. What happened to that nindo of yours?" Kyuubi fiercely agreed with the scolding his jailer was receiving. **Damn Right! This guy knows what he's talking about!** Now, I don't know if any of you are familiar with the feeling of being reprimanded from both the inside and the outside, but let me assure you that it is not a pleasurable experience. Naruto was beginning to feel its effects, as the two hammered away at his resolve. Finally, the last of the blonde's resistance melted away, leaving him defeated by their logic.

"Alright, ALRIGHT!" Naruto groaned. "I still love her, but what am I supposed to do about it?! She has Sasuke!" Gaara smiled.

"Fight, Uzumaki. You fight until you win. That shouldn't be that hard for you." the Kazekage found his focused stance once again. "And what better way to impress her than to show off some new sand jutsu?" Naruto looked at his friend, the old fire that had been put out before had just found it's second wind. The blond flashed his sensei one of his trademark grins before assuming his battle stance.

"Alright, let's do it!"

(I)

"Ino, wake up. You're being troublesome again." slowly, Ino's eyes fluttered open, to see none other than Shikamaru staring back at her. Despite her best efforts, Ino couldn't hide the rosy blush that began to fill her face.

"Oh, h-hey Shikam-maru!" wait, hold the phone, was she _stuttering_? My god, she MUST have gotten Hinatahemotosis. Slowly, the Kunoichi eased herself into a sitting position until her face was only a few inches from his. After a few glorious seconds, Shikamaru pulled his face away, a mild blush forcing its way onto his features.

"You took quite a fall right there, what were you doing out here anyway?" Ino began to feel light-headed again at the question. If she survived this, she was going to start a Hinatahemotosis foundation to find a cure for the wretched disease.

"Well…" What should she say? Should she just tell him the truth, or come up with an excuse? What she came up was a horribly disfigured combination of the two. "I came here looking for something." Oh, that was smooth. Shikamaru cocked and eyebrow.

"Oh, and what was that? Did you lose something?"

"Well…" here we go again. "Not exactly." _Super smooth_. Shikamaru looked at his teammate, now thoroughly confused.

"What does that mean, 'not exactly'? You didn't lose anything? Then what could you possibly-"

"Would you just KISS me already?!" Ino yelled, her face now a bright pink. Yes, now I see it, you're playing hard to get. Like it. Shikamaru looked at Ino. Ino looked at Shikamaru. Shikamaru's brain had shut down due to shock. Ino's brain had been reduced to mush from all of her "romantic prowess". Ino kissed Shikamaru. Shikamaru liked it. When they finally finished, Ino smiled at her new boy-toy. "Great, you can pick me up tonight at 8:00. See you later, Shika-kun!" About five or so minutes after Ino had walked off towards the village, Shikamaru's brain reboot itself. After a few more excruciating minutes of that damn hourglass, the little "You've got mail!" window appeared in Shikamaru's head.

"I'm taking Ino on a date tonight? God damn this is going to be TROUBLESOME." Then again, Shikamaru found himself thinking he could deal with at least ONE troublesome night…or two. Yeah, two was good.

Tada!!!! Another chapter. I know, I deserve to be stoned for the dreadful update consistency, but I'm a procrastinator. AND WE'RE A PROUD RACE, DAMMIT! Next time, Sasuke…sucks. A lot.


	9. Return and Recognition

Yo suckas! What up in da hood? Okay, I'm **really** white, but can you blame me? (NOTE: if you answered yes to that question, turn of you computer now, find someplace really high up, and jump off.) right, next chapter… dusts off disclaimer

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto. If I did, they would use the word 'shenanigans' a helluva lot more.

"I do hope you know what this means, Forehead." Ino raised her eyebrows mischievously.

"Yeah Ino-pig, I know." Sakura heaved a sigh, knowing that she had been defeated. "When Naruto gets back…I'll ask him on a date." The blond Kunoichi nodded with approval, smugness oozing from her every pore.

"How's Sasuke gonna take this?" Sakura waved off the question, not at all worried about damaging Sasuke's seemingly non-existent feelings.

"I have the feeling he isn't going to mind, I mean, I haven't even **seen** him in like a week." Sakura almost laughed. If she had the ability to go back in time and tell herself that she would be asked out with Sasuke, and after a little over 2 weeks, become completely fed up with him, that past her would almost certainly punch her in the face. And then there was the matter of going on a _date _with Naruto. Now THAT, her past self would have flat out laughed at, right before reporting her to ANBU as an insane person.

Why did she have the sudden urge to punch herself from 2 weeks ago? It just seemed to her that 2-weeks-ago Sakura seemed so…young, never looking beyond the appearance of anyone, especially Naruto. He really was just a nice, caring guy, wasn't he?

Yeah, nice, caring, and _**HOT**_… Wait, what? Where did that come from? She didn't really think Naruto was hot. Sure, he was muscular, tanned, and those eyes…

Oh god…Naruto **was** hot! Sakura shook her head furiously, trying to clear the rather suggestive images from her head. She couldn't like Naruto, could she? Physical attraction is different than actually liking someone, wasn't it? Wait, so now she was admitting that she found him physically attractive?! Just a second ago she was convinced that she liked him as a friend! Then again, it wouldn't be _**completely **_out of the question to-

"Yo, Forehead, you still there?" Sakura jumped, realizing that she was still in Ino's flower shop. Sakura laughed, embarrassed that she had been zoning for over two minutes.

"Yeah, sorry about that. See you Ino; I'm going to go for a walk." Sakura hastily left the shop, hoping Ino hadn't seen her blush. As she left, she made a mental note to stay away from the flower shop whenever possible. Lately, it had been giving her a lot of headaches.

Sakura trudged down the street, trying to sort out her brain. Currently she was at a tie; half of her psyche insisted that she only liked Naruto as a friend, while the other half screamed that she liked him like the other side of the pillow. Why was this so hard!?! Why why WHY!!! No, seriously, why was this so hard to walk down the street?

"Um…hey, Sakura." Rocketing back towards reality, the pink haired Kunoichi noticed that she was walking face first into Shikamaru. She quickly backed off, giving her and her roadblock some breathing space.

"Oh! Sorry about that Shikamaru, I was just concentrating on something and-"

"Hey you and Ino are friends now, right?" Sakura's temper flared at Shikamaru's interruption mid-apology, but the boy's strong suit had never been manners. She nodded, not trusting her tone to come out as anything but aggravated at the moment. Shikamaru shifted his gaze towards the clouds that he admired so much. "Then maybe you can help me out, what do I get a girl who works at a flower shop? So troublesome…" Sakura set her annoyance at the lazy genius on hold while she thought of some good advice. He did have a valid point, after all. What _**do**_ you get a girl who works at a flower shop?

"Well," the pink haired Kunoichi began, "you could always get her chocolates, but those kind of go with flowers. What about one of those chocolate flowers they sell down at the candy shop?" Shikamaru's face scrunched up as he thought about the suggestion, quickly followed by him returning his eyes to the girl in front of him.

"Alright, I think that'll do. Now, what's wrong with you? You look like hell." Alright, anger is back off the sidelines, and heading full speed to Sakura's attention.

"EXCUSE YOU?!?" Sakura bellowed, getting ready to send Shikamaru to meet his precious clouds. Shikamaru shrugged, seemingly unafraid.

"Is it about Naruto?" Sakura's anger fizzled out of existence, draining her of her motivation to send Shikamaru into the wild blue yonder. The lazy ninja sighed, placing his hands behind his head. "I know how you feel. Hell, even I've started to miss the guy…how troublesome."

"Yeah…troublesome…" Sakura said airily, not meeting Shikamaru's gaze, but instead opting to survey the ground. The two stood there in silence, a slight breeze blowing through their hair and kicking up the few stray leaves on the ground. Deciding that there was no point in just moping around in front of Shikamaru, Sakura began to excuse herself. "Well, I have to get back home, I-"

"Listen, I'm not good at this, so don't expect this more than once." Shikamaru cut her off the second time today, walking towards her slowly and finally coming to a stop right in front of her. "Naruto…he'll come back. He cares about this village, about being Hokage." Patting her gently on the shoulder, the lazy ninja gave her a slight smile. "And he cares about you, too." After letting his final words linger in the evening air, Shikamaru turned and began his walk towards the candy shop. As she watched him leave, Sakura had the urge to say something to Shikamaru; whether it was a thank-you for the advice, or a death threat for saying she looked like hell, she wasn't sure. Despite her urge, Sakura decided to hold off; figuring that saying nothing would even out her emotions at the moment. Looking at her watch, Sakura noticed exactly how late it had gotten.

"Crap!" the pink-haired Kunoichi cursed to herself, "I forgot I had to return that summoning scroll to Tsunade-Sensei!" knowing first hand what happened when you annoyed Tsunade, Sakura sprinted full tilt towards the Hokage Tower, leaving a dust trail in her wake.

By the time she had gotten to the tower, Sakura was completely out of breath. Clumsily opening the large door, Sakura trudged up the flight of red-carpeted stairs, ambled down the winding hallway, finally coming to the door to the Hokage's office. Shizune sat behind her desk, completely unaware of Sakura's presence, until she was already turning the doorknob. Her head whipping around to the door, Shizune attempted to stop Sakura.

"Wait, Sakura! Don't-"

"OH MY GOD!!! THAT…YOU…IS THAT EVEN LEAGAL?!?" Unfortunately for her, Sakura had just bared witness to two of the Legendary Sanin doing things that could very well be illegal in Amsterdam, and just as easily blinded a weaker soul. Sakura quickly shut the door and shot Shizune a Stink-eye worthy of Sasuke. Shizune sweat-dropped, laughing nervously.

"heh heh, I tried to warn you…"

!!!! 

"Well, I'd say that I finally got the hang of it, huh Gaara?" Naruto laughed as he floated on his platform of sand. Gaara watched from the ground, a smile again finding it's way to his face. It was amazing how much he smiled when Naruto was around.

"I have to admit, I'm impressed with you, Uzumaki. Learning 5 sand jutsu in a matter of days is pretty astounding." The leaf ninja floated back to the ground, his platform dissolving into the ground.

"Thanks Gaara! Hey, I know how we can celebrate!" The Kazekage sighed, knowing that this would no doubt lead to yet another ramen excursion. 8 trips to a ramen stand within 2 days was becoming daunting.

"Fine Naruto, one more ramen trip. But if it's alright with you, I think I'm going to get some rice balls from across the street." Naruto nodded enthusiastically before rocketing himself towards town, ready to engulf the first ramen stand his found.

Once the two had found a ramen stand that hadn't been depleted of all its inventory, they quickly ordered their food. Gaara quickly unwrapped his rice balls, popping one of them into his mouth.

"Uzumaki," he said through mouthfuls of food, "I don't think I'll ever eat ramen again because of you." Naruto just laughed as he finished his second bowl.

"That's okay, Gaara." He smiled while ordering another bowl, "That just means there's more for me!" the two ate in silence for awhile, just long enough for Naruto to finish his third bowl. As he placed the bowl to his side, the blonde looked to his companion.

"Gaara, I just wanted to say thanks for letting me stay here and teaching me all those cool jutsu." Gaara looked up from his rice balls, picking a stray piece of rice off his face.

"You're returning home soon?" Naruto leaned back in his chair and put his hands behind his head.

"Yeah, probably sometime tomorrow. It's like you said, I've got to fight for what's important to me, and I can't do that here." Naruto flashed Gaara a grin. "Besides, Konoha probably needs it's future Hokage back!" Gaara smiled to himself. If it was his choice, he would have made the knucklehead Hokage before he was Kazekage. Fishing around in his pocket for a minute, Gaara's hand finally emerged victorious, prize in hand.

"Here Uzumaki, consider my contribution to your fight." Naruto took the small, black box from Gaara, slowly opening the lid. Once he had removed it, his eyes went wide with wonderment.

"Jeez…" in the box was a fine pink diamond attached to a small gold chain.

"Pink diamonds are hard to come by, even here." The sand ninja explained. "Here, it's said that when one is given to someone, that both people will spend the rest of their lives together." Naruto sat, still looking at the amazing gift he had just been given. Suddenly, his face scrunched up, as if he had seen something gross.

"Wait, does that men _**we**_ have to spend the rest of our lives together?" Gaara chucked one of his rice balls at his friend.

"Don't be an idiot, I was trying to do something nice for you."

"I know, I was just kidding." Naruto laughed as he placed the lid back on the box, then pocketed it. "Thanks a lot, Gaara." The Kazekage crumpled up his wrapper and threw it into the trash across the room, then rose from the table.

"Please, don't worry about it. Now, lets get back to the tower, you'll need to be rested up for your journey home. Naruto nodded his head before rising from his own chair.

"Yeah, my journey home... to Sakura."

Sakura had finally recuperated from her near-death experience, and Tsunade and Jiraiya had finally made themselves decent for public. Cautiously entering the room, Sakura plopped the scroll onto the Hokage's desk.

"You're perverts, the both of you." she growled as she took a seat on an available armchair. Tsunade gave her student a coy smile as she assumed her seat behind her desk.

"Sakura, Jiraiya-kun and I are grown-ups; we can be perverted from time to time." The Kunoichi shuddered, the horrid memories from only minutes ago still plaguing her mind. "Now, is there anything else you wanted, because we really _weren't_ finished." Jiraiya chuckled lecherously from the side of the room. As much as Sakura wanted to leave that desecrated office, and believe me, she **really **wanted to, one thing stopped her.

"Tsunade, have we gotten any news where Naruto is?" Jiraiya walked over from his corner and placed a hand on the desk.

"Not yet Sakura, we haven't been able to find Naruto yet. ANBU's searched all of Konoha's surrounding villages, and found nothing. That means he must have traveled a very large distance in a short amount of time." Seeing her worried expression, Tsunade placed a comforting hand on her arm.

"Don't worry Sakura; I'm sure that he's fine. In fact, when he returns, I'll be leaving him under your surveillance, just to make sure he stays put." Sakura gave her sensei a smile, glad for the comforting words.

"Thanks you guys, I feel better now." As she made her way to the door, she abruptly turned and pointed a finger accusingly at the two. "NOW STOP BEING PERVERTED!!!" Sakura stepped out of the room, intent on washing her hands. Scratch that, a full on shower was in order.

Naruto stood at the Gates of the sand village, Gaara, Kankuro, Temari and Higiru there to see him off.

"Well, thanks you guys! Don't forget to come and visit us in Konoha!" Higiru smiled at the boy.

"You don't be a stranger here, either, Naruto." The leaf ninja nodded before turning his attention to Gaara.

"Thanks again Gaara, for the Justus, the ramen, everything!" Gaara just winked at him, letting the faintest of smiles surface. After one final wave, Naruto was off into the desert, the sun just beginning to set across the barren dunes. Once he was but a speck on the horizon, Kankuro looked towards the sunset.

"Well, That kid sure is something, Huh?"

"Yes, he surely is." Higiru agreed, his smile still present on his face. Temari, turned to her brother, arms folded.

"Gaara, you didn't happen to just give away sand village jutsu to an outsider, did you?" The Kazekage shook his head.

"No, I got some jutsu in return." Kankuro crocked and eyebrow.

"Yeah, like what? Show us one!"

"Well, I suppose…" after forming a few hand seals, Gaara disappeared behind a screen of smoke. Once it finally cleared, the other 3 sand ninja weren't met with the Kazekage, but instead with a very beautiful, very naked red-haired girl. "I believe he called this the 'sexy jutsu'." Temari's face grew red in both embarrassment and anger. She threw her fists into the air.

"God dammit, NARUTOOOO!"

viola! Another chapter finished. The longest one yet! Alright, now review, you no good communists! (just kidding, unless of course you are a communist).


	10. The Return of The Knucklehead!

Umm…wow. No comment on the horrendous amount of time it took for me to update. I PROMISE that any and all chapters that come after this one will be quicker. You can all thank Fishy Crackers for getting me off my sorry butt to write this one. Anyway, here's chapter 10. Hope you enjoy it!

Sasuke could be called many things. Depending on who you talked to, he could be described as deep, thoughtful and cool. Or, on the same token, could be considered a cold, heartless bastard, (though this frame of mind was usually exclusive to Naruto). But, in no one's definition of Sasuke could emotional be found. So, it could safely be assumed that anyone who came across the stoic Uchiha at the moment would be sufficiently shocked. There, somewhere deep within the recedes of the Uchiha manor, Sasuke threw a chair into the wall in a fit of rage. The piece of furniture shattered on impact, leaving mere splinters of wood scattered across the floor. Angrily rubbing his temples, Sasuke turned his attention towards a nearby window.

"Why… Why is he still bothering me!" the prodigy yelled to the air. "I beat him, I WON!" He slammed his fists angrily onto a table, the objects on top jumping into the air. _Did you really win, Sasuke?_ His inner self cooed, _or, had Naruto won before you challenged him?_ Suddenly, Sasuke's mind flashed back to the night Naruto had confronted him on the training grounds. _**"I hope you enjoy training alone, because sooner or later, that's all you're going to have left."**_ For whatever reason, something about the sentence struck a chord with Sasuke, made him think. "Is…is that what I really want? To be alone?" The raven haired boy set his back to the wall and slowly slid to the floor. "Maybe, the idiot was…right?" as ridiculous as it sounded, and as much as he DIDN'T want to admit it, Naruto had a point. All of his manipulation and brashness would catch up to him eventually, then he would have no one left. Sure, he could continue his quest for power, but would it really be worth it? His anger returning, Sasuke angrily hit the wall with a clenched fist. "God dammit Naruto, don't be such an idiot…it makes the smart ones question what they're doing." Slowly, the Uchiha hoisted himself off the ground, and began to head for the door. A full day of training would get the idiot's ramblings out of his head.

Meanwhile, a one Sakura Haruno was having similar thoughts to her begrudged boyfriend. Quietly eating a bowl of Ichiraku ramen, which had become a regular practice of hers, the pink haired Kunoichi sifted through her many thoughts of a blond shinobi. _Naruto, why did you have to go and complicate things? Everything was going fine, then you had to go and be all…__**appealing**_She smiled lamely. _You were always there, being a good friend to me, and I was always mean in return. Naruto Uzumaki, I swear if you come back, I'm going to give you the best hug you've ever gotten…then beat the tar out of you for making me worry so much. _Suddenly, a familiar, enthusiastic voice reverberated through the small shop.

"Ah Sakura-san! I see that your youthfulness is still as radiant as ever!" giving the green clad boy a smile, Sakura motioned for the stool beside her.

"Hey Lee, have a seat." With his usual zeal, Lee accepted the seat and turned his attention to Sakura.

"Sakura, I came with a question for you! Naruto's Youthful self had been missing for some time now. Do you know where he might have gone?" at the mention of Naruto, Sakura visibly slumped, shaking her head Sakura returned her gaze to Lee.

"Sorry Lee, I'm just as in the dark as you are. I miss him too, though." Sensing her sadness, Konoha's green beast flashed one of his "nice guy" poses.

"Do not worry, Sakura! Naruto will come back, I am sure of it!" Sakura gave Lee a smile, thankful for his comforting words. Lee grinned at Sakura before pointing straight at her. "You know, you and Naruto are very much alike!" at the odd statement, the Kunoichi crooked and eyebrow. In all her years of knowing him, she had never been compared with her blonde teammate.

"Really, how do you figure?" she asked. Lee redirected his finder to his own eye.

"People may seem different at first glance, but you can always tell when two are alike by their eyes. When you see Naruto-san's eyes, they are brimming with youthfulness and love! You're eyes are the same way, Sakura-san!" Sakura looked curiously at her reflection in her ramen.

"My…eyes?" as she looked into her emerald colored eyes, she didn't notice anything different about them, they looked the same as they always did. Just as she was about to dismiss the statement as just another one of Lee's rambles, said ninja cut in.

"No Sakura-san, don't look _at_ the eye! Look what's _behind_ the eye!" looking closer, she strained to see what could possibly lay hidden behind her eyes. Then, all of a sudden, she saw it.

That light… she had seen that light before. She had seen it in Naruto's eyes, every time he looked at her, every time he trained, every time he did anything, that light was there. Then she remembered watching that light disappear from his eyes the night she told him she hated him. The image of her face became distorted as ripples formed in the broth from where her tear had fallen.

"Sakura-san, are you alright?" Lee asked, concerned. Quickly realizing that her friend was still next to her, Sakura brushed her eyes and smiled.

"Yeah Lee, I'm fine." Slapping her money on the counter, Sakura rose from her seat. "I'll talk to you later; I've got to go work at the hospital." Waving goodbye, Lee watched his friend exit the stand. Once she had gone, he turned his attention to the owner.

"Excuse me sir, but how much would you say Naruto Uzumaki eats here in one sitting?" Teuchi rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Oh I'd say, about 11 to 12 bowls. Crazy, huh?" Lee slammed his fist onto the counter, his usual fire burning in his eyes.

"Very well, then I must eat at least **15 Bowls**! I will not lose!" Teuchi sweat dropped, before calling into the kitchen.

"Ayame, get out the extra noodles, we've got a **Big** order to fill!"

After a long day of working at the hospital, all Sakura wanted to do was go home and sleep. Though it wasn't a well known fact, hospital work was very demanding; especially when your boss could punch you through a wall. After clocking out, Sakura sluggishly left the hospital and trudged down the street; all that sounded appealing to her now was a nice long bath. In an attempt to avoid the imminent rush that would meet her on the main roads of the village, Sakura ducked into one of the back roads. Her footsteps echoed through the alleyway, the orange-tinted lights casting eerie shadows on the wall. Suddenly she stopped; her hairs were standing on end. Someone was there.

"Show yourself, you coward!" she challenged into the dark, hoping to coax her guest into showing himself. She didn't have to wait long, however, as a rather large man concealed by a hood stepped out of the shadows.

"Ah, a feisty one. I _love_ the feisty ones."

"Settle down, I get the first go, remember?" Sakura turned her attention to yet another man emerging from the shadows. To her growing horror, more men began to file out from the shadows until ten surrounded her. If she hadn't been working all day, Sakura would have seen her aggressors as nothing more than minor annoyances. In her current state, however, this situation would prove to be very difficult. Fumbling around in her leg pouch, Sakura desperately tried to find something to defend herself with, but to no avail. Working at the hospital rarely called for the use of kunai knives, so she had opted to fill her pouch with medicine instead. She noted that if she did get out of this, she would _**never**_ leave home without weaponry again. The first man took another step closer to Sakura, gesturing to her with his finger.

"Come on girly, me and my friends just want to have a little fun." The other men laughed in their deep, guttural tones, all taking another step forward. Soon, another one chimed in.

"Don't worry, we don't bite…hard." They were getting within arms reach of her now. Any minute Sakura knew she would be at the mercy of these perverts. Reading herself to fight them off the best she could, Sakura took a fighting stance. The first man crooked his head to the side, a lecherous smile on his face.

"Come on now pinky, you really think you can take all of us at once?"

"Before any of you guys say something else pervy, BACK THE HELL OFF!!!" the new voice boomed throughout the alley, catching all of them off guard. Before the thugs could react, tendrils of sand shot every which way from out of the darkness. In a matter of seconds, all ten men were imprisoned in a cocoon of sand. Sakura simple stood in the middle of it all, completely awestruck. She was quickly snapped out of her daze as her savior flashed her the victory sign from a nearby rooftop.

"Hey Sakura-chan! Are you okay?" At first, Sakura thought it was an illusion. There was simply no way that Naruto could be right there in front of her, using sand jutsu no less. No, it had to be some other blond haired ninja from the Sand Village passing through. The Might-Be Naruto pumped his fists into the air, a large grin plastered to his face…before clumsily falling off the roof face first into the alley bellow. Never mind, that was her Naruto, alright. Coming to her senses, Sakura ran over to the orange and yellow heap.

"Naruto! Are you okay?" sitting up slowly rubbing his head, Naruto nodded.

"Sure Sakura, it was just a- OW!" The blonde shinobi yelled as Sakura gave him a forcible whack on the head. Crossing her arms angrily, Sakura glared at Naruto.

"Where in the hell were you, Naruto?! I was worried sick!!!" Naruto opened his mouth to respond; only to realize that Sakura's scolding was far from over. "You just up and leave us with only a note, then don't give us any updates on how you're doing?! Tsunade sent half the village out looking for you! And when you do come back you act like nothing happened? What were you THINKING?!?!" at the end of Sakura's rant, Naruto simply smiled and rubbed the back of his head.

"It's good to see you too, Sakura." Hoisting himself off the ground, he held out his hand to Sakura. "I'm gonna go see Granny Tsunade right now, do you wanna come with?" The pink haired Kunoichi decided to put her anger at the boy on hold for awhile. After all, he had come back… and so had the light in his eyes. Sakura smiled lightly, accepting his hand. Sakura allowed Naruto to pull her off the ground leaving her standing on her own two feet.

"Thank you Naruto. Now, lets go see Tsunade." at this, Naruto beamed. Even after his absence, being with Sakura still made him happy. The two teammates began to walk towards the Hokage Tower, when Naruto stopped suddenly. Turning around, he quickly remembered that he still had ten men at the mercy of his sand. Smiling first at Sakura then to the men, Naruto lifted his hand into the air.

"Alright, off to ANBU with you guys! Tell them Naruto Uzumaki sent you!" pointing a finger in the direction of the ANBU headquarters, the imprisoned thugs flew into the air, rocketing towards their destination. Sakura could only stand in awe of her friend, who had just sent ten full grown men flying across the air like scared birds. Snapping out of her awe-induced stupor, Sakura laughed lightly.

"Well, I'm guessing someone was at the Village Hidden in The Sand?" Naruto grinned widely, putting his hands behind his head.

"Yeah, Gaara taught me a few new jutsu. I even got some free ramen!" Naruto's expression darkening slightly, he added; "How's the bastard?" to his surprise, Naruto didn't receive a whack on the head for his verbal attack on the Uchiha boy. Instead, Sakura let out a haughty laugh.

"I haven't even seen him in a week. Some boyfriend." Naruto balled his hands into fists and began to storm off.

"Where is he?! I swear I'll tear his arms off!" Sakura quickly put an end to Naruto's manhunt by firmly grabbing him by the collar and dragging him towards the Hokage's office.

"You can beat up Sasuke later, Naruto. First I think Tsunade would very much like to see you alive and well." Naruto reluctantly agreed, knowing that the old lady would have QUITE a bit to say to him about running off. Sakura smiled to herself. She was happy to have her Naruto-kun back where he belonged. As they finally reached the Hokage Tower, Naruto groaned. Sakura gave him a reassuring pat on the back. "Don't worry Naruto," she cooed. "I don't think she'll be _that_ mad."

"I am absolutely FURIOUS with you, Naruto Uzumaki!!!" The Hokage screamed at the top of her lungs, her pet pig Tonton desperately trying to escape out of a nearby window. "For all intensive purposes, I should have you _**interrogated**_, to make sure you're not really some spy!" Naruto scoffed at her, closing his eyes.

"Chill out, Granny! I just went to visit the Kazekage!" Tsunade's brow twitched in irritation. _Huh, Just as bratty and disrespectful as ever,_ she thought. _No interrogation needed; that's __**definitely **__Naruto alright. _The Sanin placed her hands on her hips, giving the other blonde a look of serious contempt.

"Even so, you are supposed to come to me and ask permission to leave the village! Regardless of your intentions, you acted recklessly. So, to ensure that you stay out of trouble, Sakura will be supervising you for the next week. Naruto began to object out of instinct, but soon realized what he had just been sentenced to. Slowly, he let his anger recede, then nodded.

"Alright, you win Granny." From the back of the room Sakura smiled.

"Don't think that I'll go easy on you, Naruto! I'll be keeping a close eye on you." _**There might have to be a strip search, just in case!**_ Her inner self chimed in. Ignoring her inner self's chiding, Sakura walked up behind the blonde and put a forceful hand on his shoulder. "I'll make sure he stays in Konoha, Tsunade-sensei." The Hokage gave her apprentice a nod off approval before dismissing the two of them. As they left her office, she finally let herself smile.

"Thank you for coming back, Naruto. We all missed you." Tsunade turned to address the thumping noise coming from her closet. Soon, the muffled voice of Jiraiya came from behind the door.

"Tsunade, are they gone yet?" laughing slightly at the spectacle, the Hokage responded.

"Yes, they're gone, you old pervert. You can come out now." Almost immediately, Jiraiya emerged from the closet, a pair of fuzzy handcuffs twirling around a finger.

"Now," he asked seductively. "Where were we?" ::WARNING; DUE TO THE GRAPHIC NATURE OF THE FOLLOWING CONTENT, WE WILL BE FOLLOWING NARUTO AND SAKURA INSTEAD. THAT IS ALL::

Naruto and Sakura walked down the street, the moon's luminescent glow lighting their way. As she walked, Sakura stared up at the stars littering the night sky. Then, she turned her gaze to the boy next to her. Inside, her persona was yelling louder than ever. _**Come on! Ask him on the date now! It's so perfect!!!**_ As much as she hated to admit it, her inner self had a point. It was the perfect atmosphere, and she could very well let Ino have something to hold over her, could she? Taking a minute to steady her nerves, Sakura casually moved closer to Naruto.

"So Naruto," she started, "Seeing as how I'm watching over you for the next week, we should probably talk about your trip." Naruto nodded slowly, still oblivious to Sakura's advance.

"Alright, it started out when-" Sakura rolled her eyes. Naruto could be so dense sometimes.

"I meant over dinner, Naruto. We could make it…a date." Naruto's eyes widened to the size of saucers and dawned the biggest grin he could muster.

"Okay! Sure Sakura! Awesome!" Sakura giggled at his enthusiasm.

"Alright, pick me up tomorrow at seven!" she called as the headed towards her home. Naruto nodded vigorously as he waved goodbye. "See you then, Naruto-Kun!" even from down the street; Sakura could see Naruto's face turn bright red at having "kun" added to his name. As Sakura neared her home, she noticed a figure standing on her porch. As she drew closer, she was surprised to find that it was Sasuke. Slowing her pace, she came to a stop right in front of her 'boyfriend', and shot him and irritated look. "Nice of you to show your face, for once." She scoffed. Making her way towards her door, she added; "Naruto came back. I'm going on a date with him tomorrow night." Sasuke's fists clenched as he turned to glare at Sakura.

"What?! Why didn't you ask me about this earlier?" Sakura stood, unafraid of the Uchiha. After a short moment of staring, she replied.

"You know, you and I are really different; I don't see anything in your eyes." not waiting for his response, Sakura walked into her house, shutting the door behind her. Sasuke stood there for a moment before angrily punching the wall.

"Naruto…"

Ooooohhhhh! Sasuke just got OWNED! BOOYA!!! Anyway, Sorry again for the long update time. From now on, they'll be faster. Next chapter: The Uchiha's heart grows ten sizes this day!!!! (Name that reference)


	11. Explosive Alarm Clocks

Hey guys, okay okay, I know that this update might be a _tad _late, but…um…there was…an elephant! Yeah! An elephant crushed my computer, so I had to buy a new computer and fish my old hard drive out from between its tusks. Ahh, good times. Now, to start chapter eleven!

././././././././././

On another brilliant morning in Konoha, the sun beat happily down upon its inhabitants, the birds were chirping happy melodies and the flowers were blooming…happily. A certain orange-clad ninja, however, lay face down on his bed, his window blinds blocking the impending gayness occurring outside. After the long journey home, the dispatch of 10 perverted criminals, and a rather unexpected offer of a date with Sakura, Naruto had been left completely burned out. His body heaved steadily up and down, nothing but the soft sound of his snoring to fill the room. That is why when Kakashi Hatake appeared at his window, the silver-haired man couldn't help but use a most unethical way to rouse his pupil; namely an explosive tag under his bed. Having returned safely to his perch on the window, Kakashi triggered the explosive. With a muffled, but nonetheless loud _**BOOM**_, a terrified, fully awake Naruto shot out of his bed.

"Wh-what's going on?!? The village is under attack!!! Quick, tell Granny Tsunade!!!" taking a minute to catch his breath, Naruto finally noticed his sensei sniggering on his window. Kakashi merely shrugged.

"Sorry Naruto, Sakura told me that you were a heavy sleeper." Naruto's eye twitched, a vein bulging visibly in his forehead.

"NOT THAT HEAVY!!!" Kakashi merely chuckled at his student. If he had learned one thing having Naruto as his pupil, it was not to take his long-winded rants seriously. Turning on his heels, Kakashi motioned for Naruto to follow him. When all he received was a raised eyebrow, Kakashi added;

"You may have been gone awhile, but that doesn't mean you don't still have to train." The Jonin didn't wait for his student's reply, leaping casually off the window ceil onto the busy street bellow. Naruto sighed before getting ready for his day of training. He really would have to get Kakashi back for this.

Following his sensei through the crowded streets of Konoha, Naruto breathed deeply. Not that he didn't like being in the hot, dry, hot, sunny, hot dessert, but it was good to be home. As he and Kakashi passed Ichiraku's, Naruto childishly tugged at his sensei's shirt. Turning back to face his student, the Jonin looked between the pouty look now plastered on Naruto's face and the noodle stand a few yards away.

"No." he replied plainly, not even needing to hear what Naruto was about to ask. Naruto's expression darkened. Folding his arms, Naruto grumbled.

"You didn't even let me ask…" Kakashi simply shrugged, giving his blonde pupil and eye smile.

"Why wouldn't I just give you the answer when I already know what you were going to ask in the first place?" He retorted smugly.

"You woke me up with an _**explosive **_and you won't buy me breakfast?" Kakashi shook his head, still eye smiling at his pupil. Kakashi turned back around to resume their walk, motioning for Naruto to follow. His feet stuck firmly in place, the blonde genin racked his brain for any bit of leverage he could use to sway his sensei's iron will. Finally, the inspiration came, and a devious smile dawned upon Naruto's features. "You know," he began, the sadistic grin never leaving his whiskered face, "it would be a **real** shame if the ending of Ero-Sennin's _**new book**_ just happened to slip out during training. After all, I can't really be responsible for my actions when I'm so weakened by hunger…" Naruto emphasized his last word by rubbing his stomach dramatically.

Now, however steadfast Kakashi was in his duties as a teacher; he was, above all else, a man of principles. And while he couldn't deny that the training of a new generation of leaf shinobi was indeed important, nothing trumped the genius of the Icha Icha saga. Slowing his current pace to a stop, the silver haired Jonin sighed. _Well, at least this time I'll actually have a __**reason**__ for being late to training._ Kakashi, now resigned to his fate, began to walk grudgingly towards the infamous ramen stand.

"Let's go, you little blackmailing…" Kakashi grumbled under his breath. Naruto happily fell in tow behind his sensei. Nothing did taste quite as good as free ramen in the morning…or free ramen at any other time of the day, for that matter. As the two entered the stand, Teuchi and Ayame looked up from their tasks, only to see their long lost best customer.

"Naruto! You're back!" Ayame squealed happily, running out from behind the counter and locking the blonde in a friendly embrace. Naruto's face turned a tinge of pink, partially from embarrassment, and partially from lack of oxygen, a result of the perhaps too enthusiastic hug.

"I-it's… (gasp) nice to see you too, (pant) Ayame." Naruto replied with much difficulty. The ramen girl finally released the blonde from her death grip as her father came to join her on the other side of the counter, a broad smile on his face.

"As you can tell, we missed you here, kid." He greeted, patting the panting Naruto on the back. Naruto gave the two a big smile as he massaged his ribs.

"Thanks old man, I missed you guys too. And man did I miss your ramen!" the two chuckled as they returned to their posts behind the stand, grabbing the necessary ingredients.

"I'm glad to hear that," Teuchi replied, placing raw noodles into a pot. "Tell you what; to celebrate your coming home, both your breakfasts are on the house today!" In the background, Kakashi silently thanked every god he could think of; paying for Naruto's so called "meals" was an expensive venture. As the two sat down, Ayame leaned over onto the counter, resting her elbows on the surface.

"So," she began, staring intently at the blonde before her, "what exactly were you up to, Naruto Uzumaki?" Kakashi's visible eye focused on his pupil also; he hadn't heard the full story either. Looking between the two interested adults, Naruto sighed.

"Well, it all started one day after training…"

/./././././././././

Meanwhile, Sakura and Sasuke stood in wait for their teammate and teacher. While they had both come to expect their teacher's tardiness, they would never had expected Naruto to be late. Sakura paced worriedly back and forth, occasionally brushing a stray lock of pink hair from her face. Sasuke, with his back propped against a tree trunk, grunted at his 'girlfriend's' foolish behavior.

"You're going to get wrinkles if you keep freaking out." he chided, eyes closed. Sakura momentarily stopped her pacing to face her raven-haired teammate.

"Well _excuse_ me for caring, Sasuke! Wrinkles sure as hell beat not caring about anything at all!" Sasuke simply turned away from her, folding his arms across his chest.

"Whatever, it's not like Kakashi isn't late every day." Sakura's glare intensified at her boyfriend as she raised an accusatory finger at him.

"I'm not worried about _Kakashi_, smartass! I'm worried about Naruto!" at this, a small smirk crawled across the Uchiha's face.

"What's a matter, Sakura? You think Naruto's going to run away from you again?" no sooner had the words passed his lips, Sasuke raised his eyebrows in surprise as the pink haired Kunoichi grabbed him by the shirt collar and hoisted him into the air. He had to suppress a shudder from the killer look she was now directing at him.

"Don't you _**ever**_ say that again, or I'll tear you a new one, got it?" though he knew he was still a considerable amount stronger than her, Sasuke figured it wise to cease his teasing for the time being. Grunting and looking away, he said nothing more. Sakura dropped him roughly back onto the ground still giving him her piercing glare. With a dismissive snort of her own, Sakura turned away from her so called boyfriend, and looked again towards town. Naruto wouldn't run away again, would he? Sakura shook her head violently, flushing the thought from her brain. No, he couldn't run away again, because she wouldn't _let_ him. She leaned against a tree and absently brushed a strand of hair from her face. After all the years of abuse and neglect, Sakura knew that now was the time to start fixing her mistake and treat Naruto with the respect he deserved…speaking of respect, Sakura was on her last leg with a certain Uchiha who had been a little less than respectful, or bearable for that matter. Glancing backward, She saw Sasuke, still leaning on a tree, looking completely uninterested in everything around him. His girlfriend was a mere six feet away, and he was acting no different than if he were the only person on the planet. Strangely, Sakura felt no bitterness, no anger…no nothing.

Just sorry.

If Sasuke kept using people as tools instead of people Sakura thought, sooner or later people would just stop giving a damn about the Uchiha orphan. Sakura couldn't fathom living without any friends, especially those like Naruto…

././././././././././././.

"And now, I'm back here, and I learned a lot of new jutsu!" the adults around him gave him approving glances, proud of his "initiative". Naruto had chosen to leave out the actual premise of his abrupt departure from Konoha, due to its personal nature. Instead, he had chosen to tell them what he had told Tsunade when he had gotten back; that he had decided to go on a training expedition to the Hidden Sand Village. He had gotten the urge to add a dramatic confession from Sasuke professing his undying love for men, but decided against it; his story was believable enough as it was. Ayame leaned forward, stars in her eyes.

"Wow Naruto, you learned Sand jutsu like Gaara?! That's amazing!" Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, unused to so much praise.

"Aw it was nothing really…" Kakashi, who at some point had finished his meal without anyone noticing, set his chopsticks down next to his empty bowl and began to stand.

"Well I'm sure that Naruto has a lot more to tell us about his trip, but we've really got to get-"

"Hey Naruto, you're back!" Kakashi rolled his visible eye as Ino and Shikamaru burst into the ramen shop, making a B-line straight toward Naruto. Ino took an empty seat next to him while Shikamaru opted to stand between the two of them. "We were so worried about you Naruto!" Ino chided as Naruto turned to face her nervously.

"Oh, sorry Ino, I didn't mean to freak you guys out…" Naruto looked around the shop once or twice before asking. "Where's Choji? Doesn't he usually come to food places with you guys?" At this, Shikamaru's cheeks turned the slightest tinge of red.

"Yeah, well, Naruto…Choji isn't here because…" he was cut off as Ino wrapped herself around him, beaming.

"Because me and Shika here are on a date!" despite looking a bit annoyed at the use of Ino's pet name for him, Shikamaru nodded in agreement. For about 10 seconds, Naruto's expression was one of shock. Soon, however, his face quickly melted into a sinister grin.

"Women are troublesome, huh Shikamaru?" The shadow ninja crossed his arms in contempt.

"You're one to talk; you've got one of them all… MMPH!" Before he could finish, Ino slapped her hand over his mouth. For a genius, sometimes he could say some stupid things.

"Well look at the time, we've got to get going! We'll see you soon Naruto!" Ino hastily dragged her boyfriend out of the ramen stand, leaving Naruto somewhat confused. Scratching his head, Naruto looked after the two of them. For the first time in awhile, the Demon fox spoke up from within Naruto.

**You humans are all so odd, you know that right?** Naruto nodded. What on earth had Shikamaru been talking about? He didn't have a girlfriend…

On the other side of the bar, Kakashi saw what would no doubt develop into a full blown "lets solve the angsty love problem with a thought sequence" look on Naruto's face. Wanting nothing more than to finally get to training, Kakashi quickly formulated the only sure fire way to get Naruto off the dangerous path he was now on.

"You know Naruto," he began, getting up from his seat. "I bet _Sasuke_ would never expect you to have learned sand jutsu. Boy, he sure would be **caught by surprise **if you used it on him…" Kakashi eye smiled, Naruto's stool now empty. God that kid was easy. Kakashi waved goodbye to Teuchi and Ayame and began his walk towards the training grounds. He was sure that by walking there, Naruto and the rest of the team would give him crap for being later than usual, but hey, he had an image to uphold.

././././././././././././././././././

**A.N. **well, that's chapter eleven. Sorry it's shorter that 10, but I just had to get it out. and look on the bright side, all the delicious ass kicking is jam packed in CHAPTER 12!!!! Again sorry for that hiatus, life and what not. Next chapter, CONFRONTATION with a side of VIOLENCE!


End file.
